Sold
by Spiral-Fire
Summary: Chase Young rules the world, Omi at his side. The world plunged into eternal darkness, Chase has begun to sell the human race into slavery. And Kimiko has just been sold to...Jack Spicer? JackxKim...Please Review!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_Chase Young rules the world, Omi at his side. _

_The Xiaolin Temple has been destroyed, all the Shen Gong Wu in the world rest with Chase. Master Fung and the other Monks of the Temple have been murdered by Chase Young himself. Dojo remains missing._

_Chase Young has begun to enslave the human race, selling them to other humans of 'higher value'; those warriors in his army or the millions of humans who chose to join him on the Heylin side._

_Now, three years later since he took Omi, the world has been plunged into eternal darkness. The Xiaolin Monks have been forced to flee, running for their lives, as they are the only thing between Chase and total domination. Here we find them, hiding in the Tianshan Mountains of what used to be China…_


	2. Discovered

**((Author's Notes:**

**One quote started this whole fic:**

**"_Soon, I will enslave every living creature and plunge the world into eternal darkness…"_**

**Chase Young, _Finding Omi_**

**This is only my second Xiaolin Showdown fic that I have posted, but if you feel the need to flame, go RIGHT ahead. Reviews are great: the more I recieve, the more excited I am to write, and you get updates faster. But, every chapter of this fic is very long, so don't expect updates frequently.**

**If you are looking for a JackxKimiko fic, or just an action fic, please do NOT be discouraged by the tiny bit of RaixKim in the beginning. I like Raimundo for his CHARACTER and that only. I do not like all the hype and attention he gets, and you see him in my stories just because I like his character for what it is.**

**Spiral-Fire))**

**Disclaimer: I live on the moon, my favorite food is broccoli, James Phelps writes me love letters and Xiaolin Showdown belongs to me. Get it?**

* * *

**Chapter One- Discovered**

_She was running, faster than she ever had before. The soles of her piteously thin shoes hit the ground again and again. Branches whipped around her ankles and her breath tore at her side._

_She could hear them behind her. They were yards, feet, inches away from her._

_Coming for her._

_She ran faster._

* * *

The sky was dark, as it had been for the last three years. High in the mountains, a seventeen year old girl sighed and leaned against the rock side of a small cave that connected to an endless series of passageways, leading to the other mountains around them.

"Kimiko?"

The girl turned around and smiled at the boy who had spoken her name.

"Yeah, Rai?"

"Just making sure you're okay."

Kimiko walked back into the darkness of the cave and sat next to Raimundo. He instantly put his arms around her.

"I miss Omi," she said quietly. "I wish everything was back to the way it was."

Raimundo held her tighter. "I do too..."

They were silent for a minute, staring out the small mouth of the cave into the moonlight. Clay sat farther back in the cave, carving a notch into the stone wall as he had done every night for the past three-hundred and sixty-four long days.

"What do you miss most?" asked Kimiko quietly to Raimundo. He was quiet for a minute as he thought it over.

"Food," he answered truthfully. Kimiko let out a small laugh.

"Only you Raimundo, only you."

"No, I'm serious!" he laughed. "All we eat is roots, berries, birds. Roots, berries, birds. I'd kill for a double cheeseburger right now…"

Kimiko smiled as Raimundo's sentence trailed off. _Leave it to Raimundo to think of food in spite of the situation we're in, _she thought.

"What do you miss?" asked Raimundo, interrupting her thoughts. Kimiko stared out into the darkness, her eyes suddenly clouded.

"I miss everything," she said at last. "I miss training at the temple, and finding Shen Gong Wu. I miss Dojo, and Master Fung, and Omi. I miss using my element. But most of all, I miss being free. I'm tired of living in fear."

Everything was silent, except for the clinks of stone hitting stone as Clay carved the notch.

"I tired of hiding. We're just sitting here while Chase is ruling the world. We should be trying to stop him, and rescue Omi. I know we don't stand a chance against him, but….." Kimiko never finished her sentence.

Raimundo gazed sadly at the moonlight, his arms tightening around Kimiko. She suddenly broke away from his arms and turned so she was facing him, her eyes heavy in the moonlight.

"I'm not afraid to die," she said slowly. Kimiko felt herself begin to lean in, and saw Raimundo doing the same thing. "I'd do anything…to get rid of Chase…" she trailed off again as they both leaned in closer.

Within moments, they had connected. Their lips touched, neither of them wanting to let go. Kimiko closed her eyes as they became closer and closer together.

"Water run," said Clay from behind them. "Who wants to do it?"

There was silence as neither Kimiko nor Raimundo answered. Both were too lost in each other.

"Alright then," said Clay slowly. "Thanks for volunteering…" He grabbed the homemade clay pot by the side of the cave wall and went to the mouth of the cave. After looking around once, he disappeared into the darkness.

As silence overtook them once more, Kimiko found that her arms had somehow found their way around Raimundo's neck. She closed her eyes and found herself kissing him harder, and him harder back. His uncut hair fell into her face as he leaned in, and Kimiko couldn't help but to smile. All was quiet.

Suddenly, the feeling in the air changed. Kimiko gasped and broke apart from Raimundo, only to have him move back in.

"Raimundo," she whispered urgently. She put his hand on his mouth and gently pushed him back.

"What?" he mumbled back.

"Something's wrong. The air is too still. I don't know what it is, but it isn't good."

"How do you know?"

"Tiger instincts, Rai. _I don't know. _Something is just wrong."

All of a sudden, there was a large crash outside. Raimundo and Kimiko scrambled to their feet, and rushed to the opening of their cave.

Far down the steep slope of the mountain, Clay stood almost frozen in time, shards of the broken water pot at his feet. His eyes were wide open.

For farther down the steep slope of the mountain was a pack of large cats.

_Warrior cats._

Kimiko suddenly felt weak in her knees and dry in her mouth.

Chase had found them.

* * *

"_No,_" Kimiko barely whispered. "No." Raimundo cursed under his breath as Kimiko quickly ran back into the cave. She returned quickly, a crystal dagger clutched in her hand and a murderous expression on her face. She had taken it off a dead warrior when they had first fled to the mountains. Kimiko advanced out of the cave determinedly, only to have Raimundo rush forward and drag her back into the shadows.

"Kimiko, what are you doing?" he hissed. She stared back at him.

"I'm going to fight them," she said firmly.

"No! You can't!"

"Why not?! Raimundo, for a year now since we've escaped we've lived in the shadows hoping this day wouldn't come. Now that it's here, do we just run away again? Chase Young has finally tracked us down; we have to fight them!"

"You aren't going to!"

"_What?!_" she exclaimed heatedly.

"They'll kill you! You have to get out of here _now_."

"I'm not afraid to die Raimundo! We have to fight them; it's our only way of escape."

"I won't let you," Raimundo said quietly.

"What do you mean _you won't let me _Raimundo? Unless we fight them now, then we are all going to die _whether we want to or not_!"

"I DON'T WANT TO LOOSE YOU!" he shouted at her. Kimiko gazed up at him, her eyes wide and shining in the little moonlight. "I don't want to loose you, Kimiko," he repeated again, this time more softly. "I love you."

Kimiko's face softened as she instantly threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "Oh Raimundo. I love you, and I always will," she whispered.

"Then don't fight them," Raimundo said stubbornly.

"What?!" she said as she stepped back from him. "Rai, I-"

"Listen," he interrupted. "We only have a few minutes till Chase's warriors find us. You know we can't fight them; we're weak, outnumbered and have no Shen Gong Wu or weapons. Our only chance of survival is to run."

Kimiko looked away, her face downcast as she thought it over. "I'll go get Clay," she said quickly. Kimiko started again for the outside.

"No!" Raimundo shouted. He pulled her back in to him. "They haven't seen you yet." She stared at him as he thought for a moment. "I'll go get Clay; you get a head start."

"What? No!" Kimiko yelled at him. "I'm not leaving without you!"

"Kimiko, stop being so difficult! I love you, and I want you to get out of here and be safe! Just start down the passageway without us. I'll go get Clay; we'll only be a few minutes behind you."

"But-" she started. But she never finished. From outside, there was a sudden silence that made a shiver run through them both. The warrior cats had spotted Clay, and he was frantically running as he could up the steep rocky slope towards the cave.

"Why doesn't he just use his element?" Kimiko barely whispered. Raimundo stared at the pack of jungle cats quickly. His eyes widened.

"Chase Young isn't with them!" Raimundo exclaimed. "I don't think they know that they're after _the _Xiaolin Dragons right now. They're probably just on orders to capture any humans found hiding. Chase sees them as just worthless animals and traitors if they refuse to join him," he spat bitterly.

Then, like he had just remembered the situation he was in, Raimundo shook his head sharply and grabbed Kimiko. Roughly, he pushed his lips to hers and held her tightly. Kimiko closed her eyes tightly. She felt almost limp in his grasp and felt her throat go drier.

Raimundo suddenly pushed her away. "What ever you do, _don't use your element!_ If we're captured, they still won't know that we're the Xiaolin Dragons! _Go!_" he yelled. He ran out of the cave and began to rocky descent to Clay, who was still trying to make it up the steep side of the mountain.

Kimiko could only watch in horror as Clay tripped over a large rock and fell hard against the ground. She shifted her gaze to Raimundo, who had picked up a rock and hurled it at a warrior cat only feet behind Clay. As the cat lunged, the rock hit it squarely in the forehead. The warrior dropped and laid still, blood trickling down its head.

This had all taken place in a couple of seconds, but to Kimiko, it felt like hours. The grip around her only weapon tightened, but something held her back from going out to fight; a promise to Raimundo.

Unwillingly, she ran to the back of the cave, where the narrow rock passage way that led to the other side began. She glanced back at the dark red sky behind her and let out a deep sigh.

"Be safe, Raimundo. I love you."

And then, she ran.


	3. Captured

**Chapter 2- Captured**

Raimundo ran out of the cave and began to scuttle down to Clay. The many warrior cats were not far away from Clay, and one particularly large cat was only feet from his heels. Raimundo grabbed a rock and hurled it as hard as he could. He watched the rock strike its mark. _One down, a hell of a lot to go, _Raimundo thought.

He skidded down the last few feet to Clay, small rocks sliding down under his feet. "Clay, come on!" he yelled.

Clay scrambled upwards towards him, putting out his hand for balance. Raimundo grabbed his outstretched hand and yanked him up the loose stones, which crumbled under his feet. Together, they ran up towards the mountain passageways, the cats snarling right behind them.

"Where's Kimiko?" Clay shouted as they dashed up the steep slope.

"I told her to get a head start," Raimundo called back. Clay was silent for a brief second.

"Good. One of us has to get out of here alive to defeat Chase." Raimundo raised an eyebrow at him. "Just in case we don't make it out," he added quickly.

They were just yards from the cave, the cat's paws nicking their heels as they ran.

"Raimundo," Clay said uneasily. "We can't catch up to Kimiko-they're too fast!"

Raimundo's eyes darkened for a moment. "Then we have to make sure they don't get to Kimiko- come on!" He picked up his speed and dashed twice as fast into the rock passageway, Clay at his side.

"Help me cover the passageway," Raimundo said quickly. He stood in the darkness of the cave, listening to the fast approaching steps of the warrior cats. "We can still get out of here if-"

But he never finished. With a snarl, a cat came running at him and pounced. Raimundo felt the force of the attack snap him off his feet. He banged against the rock with a loud crack and fell to his knees. Seconds later, Clay suffered the same fate.

In an instant, Raimundo was yanked to his feet and slammed against the rock wall again. His eyes went in and out of focus as he locked eye contact with a human warrior, morphed from a warrior cat.

"_Where is the third?!" _he demanded, shaking Raimundo fiercely. Raimundo groaned as agonizing pain overcame him. He could feel his lip beginning to swell and blood drip down from his forehead, not to mention the excruciating pain in his head.

Raimundo barely stood, his knees shaking and had one hand steadying himself against the wall. He looked up at the warrior, who grimaced and struck him across the face. Raimundo cried out in pain and fell to the floor.

"Where is the third?" he demanded again. He kicked Raimundo in the side. Raimundo stiffened, but kept silent.

Raimundo shakily stood up. He spat out a mouthful of blood at the warriors and weakly smiled. "_There is no third_," he barely whispered, wiping his mouth with his hand. The warrior's face erupted with anger.

"_Liar_!" he hissed. "We know there is a third hiding here! Do you think you could hide one of your human traitors from us? Now tell me, _where are they?!"_

Suddenly, a strange look clouded over Raimundo's eyes. Gasping for air, he fell to the floor, breathing heavily. His eyes flickered, and he lay still.

Clay opened his eyes wildly. "Raimundo?" he said softly. _"Raimundo!" _He shook the body of the other monk, as if in hope to revive him.

"Leave him!" the warrior growled. With a massive punch to the chest, Clay flew backwards and collapsed on the hard stone. He too laid still.

Abruptly, a faint cry split the silence. The remaining cats cocked their ears to listen, and at once ran down the passage way.

The transformed cat glanced quickly at the still monks. "Why worry about the dead?" he mumbled to himself. "Let's capture the living." He morphed into a large jungle cat and disappeared into the darkness of the passage.

The bodies of two teenage boys lay illuminated by the moonlight. The air was still and quiet as the immense cats vanished into the narrow passage, searching for the third human.

The stillness of the air as interrupted by a quiet, rusty cough. The larger of the two's chest rose up and down slightly as a shadow passed through the moonlight. Clay sat up and looked around, breathing a sigh of relief. The silence cut through the night once more.

A weak, barely audible voice softly echoed around the cave._ "Are they gone?"_

Clay turned and squinted his eyes at the slowly rising body behind him. "Yup, Raimundo. They're gone."

Raimundo took a deep breath and let the quietness claim the air once more. "Shit," he whispered harshly. "_Kimiko_."

* * *

Kimiko ran through the darkness of the cave, her eyes trying to adjust to the no light. The shadows seemed to mock her as she ran, stumbling alone in the murky depths of the passageway. Her feet connected with something hard, and she fell cruelly against the rock floor.

Her body smarting from the impact and tears in her eyes, she stumbled to get up and leaned against the wall. Kimiko's heart pounded in her chest as she struggled to see where she was going.

Quickly, she began to run again, navigating her way throughout the sudden downward paths and sharp turns. Her heart was pounding fast. _Where was Raimundo? He should have gotten here by now._

She could sense that she was near the end of the passage way. Fresh air mingled with the odor of the carved rock and darkness. Once she got to the end, there was about a mile of forest to get across that led to another mountain range. There was an endless series of caves and passages that she knew she could hide in until the warriors passed.

Suddenly, Kimiko felt her feet fly out from under her as the passage made an unexpected descent. She let out a loud cry as she hit the hard rock. Her dagger slipped from her grasp and clattered nosily a few feet away from her.

Kimiko lay still on the ground, her heart pounding in her chest and her body aching with intense pain. Her breathing was irregular as she tried to catch her breath. Slowly, she forced her self up. Feeling around on the cool rock, she located her dagger and stood up painfully.

At once she heard footsteps faintly off behind her. She paused to listen, and sighed with relief. _Raimundo and Clay were coming._

Kimiko stopped for a moment, and leaned against the rock wall. She listened to the approaching footsteps. But something was wrong; there were too many. Kimiko's eyes narrowed as she listened. And then, it dawned on her.

Gasping for air as she blindly ran down the passage, Kimiko stumbled along the narrow path. She didn't dare use her element, fearing it would light up the whole passage and give her away. Her heart pounded in her chest as Kimiko's feet hit the hard stone again and again.

A faint light began to dimly shine in front of her, growing more intense as she neared the other side. Within a minute, moonlight exploded into her eyes as the passage came to an end. Kimiko was blind for a few seconds after her eyes adjusted from the pitch black darkness to the shining red light of the dark moon.

Kimiko reached the thick forest and plunged inside, listening to the sounds of the warrior cats behind her. She knew they were quickly catching up.

* * *

_She was running, faster than she ever had before. The soles of her piteously thin shoes hit the ground again and again. Branches whipped around her ankles and her breath tore at her side._

_She could hear them behind her. They were yards, feet, inches away from her. _

_Coming for her. _

_She ran faster._

Kimiko felt her pace weaken as she made her way through what used to be a forest. Not only was the dead undergrowth and trees wearing her down, she had been running all right. Her exhaustion was catching up to her.

Dead branches snapped behind her as the warriors neared. Kimiko glanced backwards and let out a small cry. The warrior cats were less than thirty feet behind her.

Kimiko's eyes blurred by the dense limbs and her long black hair whipping around her face. Her feet stumbled against the rough path.

Putting on a burst of energy she knew she didn't have, Kimiko felt her feet slam hard against a rock. She hit the ground hard, but quickly rolled herself into a standing position.

Kimiko was in the middle of a small clearing, the massive warriors surrounding her. Their teeth were barred at her, and they crouched ready to pounce. She narrowed her eyes, breathing heavily.

"_Stay back or you die!" _She snarled, holding her dagger out forcefully in front of her.

Kimiko locked her eyes with a cat positioned across from her. He growled and sprung out at her. She thrust her dagger forward.

Kimiko found herself face to face with a young human warrior, pressing a deadly sword forcefully against her. She pressed all of her weight and strength against her dagger in return.

The warrior was stronger than she was, and Kimiko felt herself fly off her feet as he threw more of his strength against her. She caught herself on the ground and, quickly but shakily, stood up.

Back on her feet, she swung her dagger at him. He dodged it and within a split second, fiercely thrust his sword at her. Kimiko ducked backwards, but not fast enough. The very tip of his razor-sharp sword sliced cleanly under her left eye. It was a shallow cut, but already Kimiko could feel the blood begin to flow.

Taking advantage of her weak moment, the warrior rushed forward and grabbed Kimiko. One of his thick arms went tightly around her neck. She cried out and immediately began to struggle ferociously. His grip tightened as Kimiko kicked him as hard as she could.

As she gasped for air, the Warrior pulled out something gold from his waist. Kimiko bit him on the arm, but he just grunted. He mumbled a few words, and slashed the object through the air. A portal instantly appeared.

Kimiko's eyes widened and she resisted him even more as he dragged her forward through the opening. Closing her eyes, she felt the familiar rush of the Golden Tiger Claws.

Her stomach dropped as she instantly sensed a change of surrounding. No longer was she standing in the dead forest. Cold drifted all around her, and she shivered in spite of herself.

Quickly opening her eyes, she faced a large stone wall. The stones were slimy, cold and damp. Torches positioned all around her cast off an eerie light. Many large wooden doors continued down the empty hall way Kimiko was standing in. She was in a dungeon; and she knew where that dungeon was.

Kimiko had barely enough time to sense all this as the warrior dragged her through an open door. He threw her inside. Kimiko slammed into the stone wall hard, and crumpled to the ground. In an instant, she was back on her feet.

She tore forward just as the warrior cat slammed the door shut and locked it.

"NO!" she screamed, banging her fists on the heavy wooden door. "LET ME OUT!" Kimiko looked around for her dagger, but saw that it was gone.

Kimiko slammed her fists on the door, "LET ME GO!" she screamed again. She banged her fists even harder and faster, even though she knew no one would come. The skin around her hands quickly cracked, and blood began to silently fall to the cold stone floor.

Standing back, her eyes ablaze, Kimiko raised her bleeding hands. "FIRE!" she cried. Large angry flames of fire erupted from her hands and around her. The flames surrounded her and grew intense as her anger raged. She let out an anguished laugh as she directed her energy towards the door. It blazed in fire, but was not affected.

Suddenly, immense pain shot through her body. The blaze disappeared as the lights from her eyes faded. Letting out a small cry, she crumbled to the ground. Sobs shook her entire body, and tears blinded her eyes. Her breath was slow and irregular.

Unwillingly, Kimiko's vision went in and out of focus as her exhaustion overcame her. She slumped to the ground and lay still. Her chest rose and fell slowly with her weak breathing.

All was silent as a single tear ran down her cheek.


	4. Taken

**Chapter 3- Taken**

She could hear them coming down the stone hallway of the dungeon. Blinking heavily, she struggled to sit up. Pain overcame her as she became upright. Her body was stiff and covered in blood and grime. The tattered red robes that she wore displayed even more tears and rips from her flight the day before.

Kimiko's head throbbed as she strained to hear them coming. As they neared, she could sense that they were two human warriors. Their voices echoed around the empty dungeons and Kimiko struggled to hear them.

"-check cells, His Majesty wants all the…for the next…."

"When's it going out?"

"-today. Check every…any prisoners. We'll take them-"

Kimiko could hear the doors of the cells around her being opened and closed. She narrowed her eyes in concentration and tried to block out the pain surrounding her.

The footsteps grew louder and louder as the warriors neared. Finally, she heard the footsteps halt at her door. A small opening slid open as someone peered inside.

"Here's one," the warrior called. The large door swung open as a large figure walked in. He peered around the dark cell and focused on Kimiko. She was sitting in the corner of the cell, her knees pulled up to her chest and her head in her arms.

The warrior smiled as he walked over. He stopped in front of her, and then grabbed her arms. He hoisted her to her feet, limp in his arms. The warrior lifted her head to see a sly smile on her face.

Within a second, Kimiko had taken her advantage. She ripped herself from his grasp and punched him squarely in the chest. In surprise, he fell to floor with a loud grunt. Kimiko quickly grabbed the sword belted at his waist and held it to his throat. He looked startled as Kimiko cruelly stood over him, an expressionless look on her face. She had long ago learned to block out emotion in situations like this.

Kimiko was caught off guard as she saw a flicker of motion out of the corner of her eye. Instantly, she felt her self be slammed against the cell wall. The sword flew from her grasp as she was pinned against the wall. Kimiko tried to struggle free, but a pair of thick arms held her firmly there. She looked up into the face only inches of hers.

It was a young warrior, barely older than twenty if that. He was breathing heavily against her, his arms pinning her shoulders.

"Damn," he breathed, looking into her eyes. "You're hot." Kimiko rolled her eyes as the other warrior stood up and walked over.

"Thanks," he grunted. He glared at Kimiko, then raised his hand and slapped her. It was so forceful that she cried out in pain and fell over. She clutched her flaming cheek as she felt herself being hoisted up once again. The warrior tightly bound her hands with rope, and then pushed her out of the cold cell.

Gripping her arm tightly, the young warrior waited while his partner searched the rest of the cells. Finding no one, he returned and they continued back down the stone corridor. Kimiko's body ached with pain as she limply stumbled and they dragged her. Her eyes felt heavy from exhaustion and refused to follow where ever they were going.

Suddenly, they stopped. Kimiko lifted her head, raising her eyes to the scene in front of her. She gasped as the two warriors began to lead her down. Kimiko instantly began to struggle, but it was no use.

Laid out in front of her was an enormous room, tall blue and green stained glass window illuminating it. But this was not in the least what had made her gasp. Rows of cages faced her, each with a human sitting inside. Warriors strode up and down the isles between them, occasionally stopping to bark an order at one of the humans.

Kimiko was dragged down through one of the narrow isles between the few rows. She gazed, numb with horror, at the faces of the captured humans. Stopping at an empty space, the older warrior grabbed her roughly and threw her into the cage.

As she hit the bars, Kimiko gasped in pain. A blast of icy energy surged through her like liquid fire. Her body seared with pain as her eyes clouded over.

Gradually, the pain faded away as Kimiko struggled to understand what had happened. She looked around to see that she had been forced into one of the cages. Peering at the bars, she noticed a tiny engraving at the top; Spicer Inc _Figures,_ she thought.

Tenderly, she touched the bar and felt the energy run through her. She gasped and moved her hand away.

"Don't touch the bars," a muffled voice said next to her. "They hurt." Kimiko looked over to see a little girl staring at her, her thumb in her mouth. She couldn't have been more than nine years old.

Kimiko blinked at her in surprise, and turned away. Looking around to see if no one could see her, she cradled her wrists and whispered, "Fire!" Her element quickly surfaced and burned the rope. It fell away from her in ashes.

"You're one of _them_, aren't you?" the girl's muffled voice said again. Kimiko turned around to see the girl staring at her in amazement.

"_Them_?" she asked.

"The-the _dragons_ or something. I can't remember."

Kimiko stared at her.

"I saw what you did. That's how I knew," the girl said proudly. Kimiko sighed and looked deep into her eyes. She could tell that the girl had suffered much. What did she have to loose by telling a nine year old girl?

"Yes, I am."

The girl's eyes went wide and suddenly saddened. "Then that means you can't get rid of the bad man."

Kimiko's eyes flickered, confused. The girl spoke the truth. She couldn't defeat Chase Young on her own; he was too powerful.

"_I_ may not be able to, but who says _we_ can't?"

* * *

Chase Young sat on his throne, bored out of his mind. Now that he finally ruled the world, he had nothing to do. He shifted to a different position, resting his head on his hands. He scowled at a cat as it walked by, making its tail go between its legs and walk faster.

When he had first taken Omi's loyalty, there had been much resistance when he clouded over the skies. _Humans,_ he snorted. At first, all these '_government's _had refused surrender to him. But a little bit of chaos cleared that right up.

Within the first year, he had taken over every little bit of land in the world. No longer were they independent nations. Now they were just one large land mass, all ruled by him.

His next problem was the humans themselves. They were always rebelling against him, refusing to join him. Chase scowled at the thought of it. The insolent creatures would run away and hide in these so called 'safe havens', just because they didn't want to join him, _the_ supreme ruler of the world, and work for him.

He had thought of turning them all into mindless zombies, but had decided against it. What was the fun of controlling subjects with no mind of their own? He would rather have a little rebellion, just to know that he could put it down anyway.

It didn't matter, anyway. After he had taken over all of the countries, he had always taken out a mass of their soldiers and turned them into his warrior cats. He and his army could stop anyone and anything in their path.

With his new army, he had quickly swept across his territory, terrorizing everyone in his path. Whole villages were destroyed; humans quaked in fear during his reign of terror. Convinced that he had finally crushed their spirits, Chase returned to his palace bearing new servants and soldiers, victims of the villages he had plundered.

But the rebellions continued. Chase angered at the thought of it, now months later. These humans were not even worthy of being scum under his feet! The idea had struck him back then.

_Slavery. _It had a nice ring to it. Chase had sent out his warriors to capture any humans they found hidden and everyone within the rebellions areas against him. He then had the humans transported to villages composed of entirely Heylin members, mostly the people working under him. They were then auctioned off to the highest Heylin bidder, now slaves under their new master's command.

Within months, more humans had been sold into slavery. This quieted up their race, as no one wanted to be ripped from their families, or to become a slave. The rebellions against Chase ended.

Now, three years from when he first took Omi, Chase Young ruled the world. There was no one, nothing that could stop him.

_Except…_Chase pushed that thought from his head, but it came back and haunted him, just as it had for the last three years.

The Xiaolin Dragons. Chase Young had not seen them since the night he destroyed the Xiaolin Temple. They were powerful then, but not powerful enough to stop him. Chase himself had killed Master Fung and all the other Masters of the Temple. Their dragon was missing; unfortunately he had not been able to catch it. _A good waste of soup, _Chase grumbled to himself.

The monks had also escaped that night. Chase was not angry that night; he was enraged and furious. He sent out orders to his warriors capture them immediately. He wanted them, as Chase knew they were the only ones who could possibly stop him.

But somehow, they always evaded his grasp. A year had passed, and still they were not found. He knew that they were now capable of their full Xiaolin Dragon powers. Yet, he knew that they could not defeat him individually. If he captured at least one of them, their trio would fall apart. Their powers would be no match for him.

Then he would be free to fully conquer the world.


	5. Omi Cat

**Chapter 4- Omi-Cat**

Chase sighed loudly as one of his servants nervously approached. It was a young girl, no more than maybe fifteen. She looked as if she was going to run away at any second.

"What is it?" he asked crossly. The girl instantly dropped to a low bow before him, shaking with fear. Chase rolled his eyes. Couldn't they ever defy him for once, or loose the formality?

"Your-your maj- your majest-" she squeaked.

"Get on with it," he grumbled.

"Your- your Majesty," she said at last. "They wish to tell you that the shipment to Tianjin is ready, and they want you to inspect it," she said quickly.

"Yes, yes," he replied, somewhat harsher than he expected. He waved his hand to dismiss her and the young girl ran off as fast as she could.

Chase Young got off of his throne and walked down the few short steps. He didn't know why he was in such a mood. Usually seeing off one of the shipments of humans to the auctions pleased him.

He passed a group of his warriors, who instantly bowed down to him. "Get me Omi!" he barked. One of them ran off and within a minute returned with the little yellow cat following at his side.

"Yes, Master." Omi said, bowing down. Chase sighed.

"Come Omi, the next shipment is going out."

Omi's furry ears drooped as he looked sorrowfully ahead. He despised Chase's actions, but he could do nothing to stop them.

"In time, Omi," Chase laughed, seeing his expression. "Soon you will learn to crave evil, if you have not already."

Chase began to walk again towards the great hall. Omi followed, his tail between his legs and a look of sadness on his face.

* * *

Kimiko sat confined within the cruel bars of a small cage. She kept her head down and her hair over her face, just incase someone would recognize her. She was lucky though. The warriors took no notice of her at all.

She glanced around the others confined beside her. She guessed there were maybe thirty people in total, all crammed into the painful cages.

Kimiko knew why she was where she was; she was going to die. She had decided it the moment the icy energy had flown from the bars through her.

She knew that Chase despised the human race, even though he had used to be one. Why he had not already destroyed them all, or turned them to zombies she didn't know.

Kimiko figured that the others around her were to die also. They must have done him a wrong, or in the little girl's case, had their parents do him a wrong. Chase Young was harsh and merciless. It was not in his nature to forgive. And what better way to punish was there but death?

Chase Young had hunted them down mercilessly for the past three years, one of which they had spent hidden in the mountains; he wanted them dead. Kimiko knew that the warriors who had captured her didn't know she was a Xiaolin Dragon, but they had been out of touch for a long time with the world. Maybe Chase instantly killed anyone he found hiding.

Kimiko's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden feeling of dread. She felt cold flow throughout her body and her heart stop. Her eyes widened, and Kimiko quickly turned her head towards the entrance to the room.

Chase Young stood calmly above them all, staring down at the humans stuffed mercilessly into these tiny quarters. He began to walk down towards them, an expression of pure hate on his face. Kimiko lingered upon him, her eyes narrowed and snarling.

But a flash of yellow caught her eye.

Kimiko snapped her head to behind Chase, and she let out a muffled cry. _Omi!_ A lump came into her throat, and she fought to keep it back. Kimiko had not seen him since the Xiaolin Temple was raided, and then even for a brief moment.

She watched entranced as they made their way between the first row of enclosures. He walked sorrowfully, his ears drooping and his eyes grief-stricken. His tail was between his legs as Chase nodded at the warriors in charge, who had hastily transformed back into jungle cats.

As Chase came nearer and nearer, Kimiko prepared herself for when he would walk by. She was not afraid to die, especially at the hands of Chase Young. After Omi had sworn his loyalty to him, Kimiko had expected her death almost every day in their situation.

Kimiko sat up straight, careful not to touch the bars. She hastily combed her hair with her fingers, and swept it out of her face. She would make sure Chase saw her, and she would face it like Xiaolin Dragon she was.

After what felt like hours, Chase finally entered her row. She sat calmly in her meditation pose, staring at the bars in front of her. Her eyes were serene and showed no emotion. Time passed slowly, each second like a drop of golden pearl falling into endless space.

"Well, what do we have here?" an icy voice sounded above her. Kimiko looked up to see Chase cruelly standing over her, an expression of astonishment on his face. Omi-cat stood obediently beside him, but his eyes were wide with shock as he stared at her.

"Kimiko!" He mouthed silently. She stared back at him, her eyes full of sadness.

"_The Xiaolin Dragon of Fire?_ No, it cannot be…" Chase trailed off, still looking as if he didn't quite realize she was truly sitting in front of him. He reached through the bars towards Kimiko, whose eyes hardened immediately

"Don't _touch_ me!" she snarled, smacking his hand away. "You foul, evil, loathsome, disgusting-"

Chase narrowed his eyes, filled with hate, yet a smug smile was strangely on his face. He looked as if someone had just given him the best present anyone could ever receive, and Kimiko knew why.

If one of the Xiaolin Dragons had been captured, then they would not have enough power to defeat Chase, if they even had enough to begin with. Apart, the Xiaolin Dragons had barely enough elemental and martial art powers to put up a good fight against Chase. They were no match for him and his mighty army of warrior cats.

"_Where are the other Dragons?"_ Chase demanded, towering down above her. Omi still stood meekly at his side, but he watched Kimiko with curiosity.

"_They've escaped! _And they're coming to kick your a-" Chase's hand slapped Kimiko firmly across her cheek. She recoiled as he grasped her chin and pulled her strongly up to the bars. His golden eyes stared into hers, cold and intrusive.

Suddenly, Kimiko felt her memories flow from her mind. Looking into Chase, she saw his eyes lit with an unrecognizable fire. Quickly, she tried to break eye contact, but it was as if she was in a trance. His eyes poured down into hers and flooded her mind.

_Omi swearing his loyalty and the sky growing dark. Master Fung falling to the hard earth and not moving. The Shen Gong Wu, all missing. Dojo standing innocently besides a fountain…_

"Stop!" Kimiko murmured. It was if she was frozen in time, with Chase reading all of her memories. She desperately tried to break contact, but it was no use.

_The Xiaolin Temple destroyed. People screaming, flames licking the sky. __Toshiro Tohomiko disappearing under a mountain of rubble. Raimundo, staring out of the cave with Kimiko…Raimundo, his arms around her…_

Kimiko spat in Chase's face.

Instantly, he drew back, fuming with anger. He furiously wiped her spit from his face and stood up.

"Guard!" he growled at the nearest warrior. The man hurried over to Chase and bowed low before him. "_Find the patrol that brought in THIS_!" Chase snarled, heatedly pointing at Kimiko. She smiled almost smugly and crossed her arms, her eyes cold and hardened.

Within a minute, a different warrior hurried over to them and bowed before Chase. "My Lord," he said quietly.

"I understand you are responsible for the capture of this human," Chase said calmly, gesturing at Kimiko. She sneered at them both.

"Yes, my Lord. We captured her during a patrol in the mountains."

"Were there any others with her at the time?"

"Two young males." Kimiko looked up sharply. _Raimundo! Clay!_

"And of them?"

"Dead, sir. They resisted while trying to hide her."

Kimiko let out a cry. _Dead? No, they couldn't be._ _Clay! Raimundo! Oh, Raimundo…_She bit her lip, trying to keep back her tears. _No, they couldn't be dead! Raimundo promised...he promised he would meet me…_A silent sob shook her body as she grasped what had happened. They had died trying to protect her.

She looked up to see that the warrior had gone. Chase peered down at her, looking in an evil way, ecstatic. Her gaze fell to Omi, who's eyes were filled with overbearing sadness.

"And so ends the mighty Xiaolin Dragons," Chase said quietly. Kimiko glared back at him with all the hatred she could muster as a small tear ran down her cheek. He laughed evilly and turned away.

"Omi!" he called. The little yellow cat ducked his head.

"Yes, Master."

"See that she is moved back to the dungeons. Position six warriors around her cell and tell her that no one is to enter, only myself. I personally want to kill her." Omi nodded and bit his lip.

"Yes, my Lord." Chase cruelly smiled at Kimiko one last time and stalked off. Within a minute, he was gone.

Omi-cat and Kimiko stared at each other, a silence filling the air around them. Finally, Omi spoke.

"Kimiko, I'm so sorry." An awkward pause rested upon them. "It's all my fault!" He cried. "If I hadn't messed up in the first place, nothing would have happened! Clay and Raimundo-they'd be-they'd-"

"It's alright Omi," Kimiko said quietly. "None of us knew what this would lead to. We cannot change the past." She looked up at him, her eyes shining. "But we can change the future. Omi-cat, _please_, help me escape-"

"You know I can't do that," he said sorrowfully. "Chase would kill me in an instant; he doesn't need me anymore, now that the world is his. Besides, I am bound by my word."

Kimiko looked away. Omi stared at her, his ears drooping.

"You know I can't help you escape _directly_," he said suddenly. "I cannot directly disobey my orders. But, I think I might be able to get you away."

Kimiko furrowed her eyebrows. "How?"

"I can still have you moved, just not to the dungeons. I will do nothing."

"_Nothing?_ What do you mean?"

"The warriors will move you, but I will not fulfill my orders. If you stay here with the other humans-"

"_Why?"_ Kimiko choked out, her voice full of malice. "_Aren't they just going to die also?_ Don't prolong my death. If I can't escape, then I want to be with Raimundo."

"Kimiko," Omi-cat said slowly. "These humans aren't going to die. Chase- he _sells them._"

She looked up at him. _"Sells them? _Like _slaves?" _Omi nodded mournfully, and Kimiko stared down at her dirty, tattered robes. "We've been out of touch with the world for a long time."

Omi sighed and paced before her cage. "I cannot offer you your life or your freedom. If you do go with these humans, you will be _sold._ Some Heylin person will buy you, and you will become a slave. It will be a hard life, if you are not spotted before the auction."

He paused and sighed again. Then, looking up startled he realized that more than half the humans in the room had already disappeared with warriors.

"I have to go," he cried out quickly. Kimiko nodded, then reached through the bars and scratched his head. A meaning of understanding passed between them, and Omi ran off.

Kimiko watched him go as warriors neared her own imprisonment. "Good bye, Omi," she whispered.

She wondered if she would ever see him again.


	6. Sold

**Chapter 5- Sold**

He didn't know what he was doing here. Usually, the young man tried to avoid this section of the market all together. He couldn't bear all the pain and suffering that went on here, all of which Chase had started.

_Chase Young. _The man despised him, even though he worked greatly for him. He remembered when he had used to idolize Chase, and snorted at the ridiculousness of it. _How could anyone admire someone like him?_

The day was frigid as he wandered on the pavestone path through the market. A long black cloak tightened around him, he pulled the hood down lower over his eyes so that no one would recognize him.

The man's feet moved without his consent towards the place where he despised the most. Somehow, he was strangely drawn there today. Absentmindedly, he pulled the hood down lower so his eyes were completely covered. They could give him away in an instant.

He made his way between the crowds of people, mostly men. The man stopped in the middle and gazed around. In front of him was a large wooden platform. There was a small stand off to the side, and a crude banner displaying the words: AUCTION TODAY. The man scowled in disgust.

And then, it began. A short little man made his way to the podium as an old woman sitting in a cage was brought to the platform. Within a couple minutes, she was sold to an even older man for only two hundred dollars.

He watched idly as seven more captives were brought before the crowd. His feet begged him to leave, but queerly would not allow him to take a single step. He watched as a little girl, no more than nine, was brought up. Her thumb was in her mouth as she stared, terrified, at the people in front of her. Silent tears ran down her dirty cheeks.

The bidding began for her. Soon, she was bought by an old woman for nine hundred and fifty dollars. The young man knew the little girl would be well taken care of, as he knew that the old woman came to these auctions to take the children.

And then, the air around him stilled in anticipation. He felt his heart beat faster and a cold bead of sweat ran down his face. Time seemed to stop, or at least go into slow motion as the next human was brought to the stage.

She stood defiantly above them all, her eyes cold and deadly. The air surrounding her seemed to dare anyone to even_ try_ to buy her.

_Kimiko. _He had not seen her for three years, yet she was exactly as he remembered her. Taller, thinner and still wearing the tattered red robes that he had seen her wear so many times before, she looked like an older, more mature version of the Kimiko he had once known.

His thoughts were interrupted as the man by the podium began to speak.

"Yes, yes… The next human we have here, seventeen years of age and still innocent," he paused, smiling slyly at the crowd. "Built well, resilient, and apparently very resistive and feisty according to my friends back stage here," the man added, looking over Kimiko. She scowled and spat at him.

"And now, let's start the bidding at a price of five hundred dollars."

A hand shot into the air. "Five hundred!" He turned his gaze to a man standing not twenty feet from him. Covered in a ninja suit, the, man took up nearly five feet of space with his enormous body.

The young man grimaced. _Tubbimura._

"Seven hundred!" another voice yelled out.

"One thousand!" Tubbimura shouted back. This quieted the other bidder right up. The assembly of people went silent, not willing to bid over a thousand.

_Do something!_ His mind shouted at him.

_Like what?_

_Tubbimura is going to buy her unless you bid against him._

_She'll be fine. It's _Kimiko_ we're talking about. She could beat his ass in an instant._

_She's injured! Look at her; you don't know how much she's been through. In her position, she should be _dead_ by now._

The young man gazed at Kimiko. She was in terrible condition. Blood and grime covered her body. There was a cut under one of her eyes, not to mention the many gashes and scrapes lining her arms and legs. But even through the grime, her beauty was astounding. He saw the men around him hastily bring out their wallets, checking for how much cash they contained.

_Tubbimura might bring her to Chase! _But he could tell by the glow in his eyes that he was planning to do something entirely different.

_It's Tubbimura we're talking about. Who knows what he might do to her…_

_But-_

"One thousand dollars, going to the extremely fat man! Once, twice…" the assembly was silent. "So-"

"_Two Thousand. _The words escaped the young man's lips and quieted the crowd. As if in a daze, he wondered if he had really just said that.

Tubbimura rummaged through his wallet and scowled at him.

"Four thousand!" he cried back.

"Five thousand."

"Seven!"

"_Ten thousand." _The crowd went silent as the young man made his bid. He felt like he was in a trance. His mind worked separately from his body. Calm filled the air as no one else dared to bid against him.

"Ten thousand. The man in the black cloak. Once…"

He felt Kimiko's eyes harden upon him. The young man looked up to see her staring directly at him. His eyes widened, and then remembered that his long black cloak disguised him. Sighing, he stared at her.

"Twice…"

She was gripping the bar of her cage, slightly swaying back and forth. For the first time in his life, he saw her looking weak and helpless.

"Sold! Ten thousand dollars."

Kimiko's eyes narrowed at him as she was taken off the stage. Silently, he fled the crowd back towards the market. His heart pounded in his chest as he ran through the busy streets. His hood flew back, exposing his bright red hair, but he didn't care. He felt almost happy, but he didn't know why.

It would be at least an hour till the auction came to a close and he could get her. The young man wandered around on the streets, more actually pacing than walking. He looked up, startled, as a large clock rung four times. The sale had come to a close.

Running as fast as he could, he hurried back to the site. He spotted her, glaring at everyone that even glanced in her direction. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the hood back over his eyes and walked calmly towards Kimiko, where a man was waiting for him.

"Ah yes…the winner of number twenty-seven…I do believe you bid ten thousand?"

He nodded and extracted the money, all in cash. The other man's eyes widened.

"Thank you!" he cried, eagerly pocketing the money. "Now, before you take her, I must warn you. We had quite a bit of difficulty with her earlier today…very resistant and strong for her size."

He smiled. "I doubt she'll be of a problem to me. Could you remove her?"

The man frowned. "Take her out of that cage? I'm not sure that's such a good…" Sighing, he brought forth the keys and opened the lock. The door swung open.

Kimiko smiled. This stranger, this man who had bought her- _no, taken me_, she corrected. She refused to tell herself that she had been _sold_-looked no stronger than a toothpick. He strangely seemed familiar, but with his eyes hidden, he was nothing but a Heylin enemy.

She could easily escape him with one twist of her wrist, even with her exhaustion and weakness. It was getting out of this evil place that concerned her.

Kimiko watched as he stupidly opened the door to her confinement. The man in the cloak grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the cage. His grip was surprisingly strong.

Within a second, she twisted her wrist in attempt to loosen his grip and throw him to the ground. Instead, he held her tightly by the wrist and didn't move. Frowning, she quickly yanked away her arm and slid her feet into his to knock him over. He didn't move.

Her head swarm already from her weak attacks. Swaying a little on her feet, she feebly pulled away from his grasp.

The young man quickly swung his arm in and pulled Kimiko forward. Her feet skidded on the ground as she struggled to keep away from him. Quickly with his other hand, he struck her just below the rib in a pressure point. Instantly, she collapsed limp into his arms, unconscious.

Holding her steady, he ripped the cloak off his back and wrapped her shivering form in it, exposing his red hair and unusual red eyes. Bending down, he put his arm under her scratched legs and swung her unconscious body up into his arms. He was surprised at how light she was.

Nodding to the astonished man before him, he pressed a button on his watch. At once, small propellers rose out of a strange backpack-like object hanging on his back. Slowly, he rose into the air, staring down at the girl he was carrying bridal-style in his arms.

The ground soon disappeared below him as he hovered high above the earth. He couldn't help but just watch the girl lying unconscious and injured below him.

Then, he furrowed his eyebrows and frowned. Shaking his head, she looked back down at her.

Why exactly _was_ there a girl lying in his arms? He choked a little. She was one of the Xiaolin Dragons! If Chase found out, he could be killed instantly. Sighing, he tried to figure out why he had done what he did.

Kimiko suddenly moved in his arms. Her eyelids fluttered, and she let out a hoarse cough.

"_Jack?"_ she whispered.

Jack Spicer froze in midair as she spoke his name. His heart pounded in his chest. Letting out another cough, Kimiko went limp again. Jack took a deep breath and flew twice as fast towards his home.

* * *

As soon as he landed, Jack strode up to the large silver fence that surrounded his home. It consisted of all his alarms and securities, and would send off his newest Guard-bots if they didn't know how to properly enter. Reaching a small silver box that he had activated with his watch, Jack quickly typed in a code while trying to balance Kimiko. His eyes were quickly scanned by a small device, and the gate flew open.

Striding up to the front door, he entered another code and kicked the door open. He was immediately surrounded by a dozen odd robots he had created. Scowling at them, he went through a hallway to a staircase leading down. He quickly descended the steps, leading into his enormous lab.

Three metal tables rested in the middle of the room, while the walls were covered with bits and pieces of robots. Two computers he had built himself sat in the corner, while an assortment of large wires and half-way finished robots covered areas of the floor. Poor lighting illuminated the room, adding shadows to everything in sight. Frankly, it reminded him of his old evil lair from when he considered himself an evil genius, before Chase's rule.

Ignoring all the evidence of his last three year's work, Jack hurried to the center metal table. He swept off all of the bits of metal, wire and computer chips, and then carefully lowered Kimiko onto the surface.

Coming to his senses at one, he shouted at the dozen robots that had assembled in the corner.

"Yes-bot!" he snapped. A little robot that looked like a waiter flew over to him.

"Yes, Jack! Anything at all, Jack!" Jack rolled his eyes. What had ever moved him to build an annoying robot like this?

"Run a bath in my master bathroom. Get out my first aid kit and every bit of soap you can find. Tell me when it's ready," he ordered.

"Yes, Jack! Anything at all, Jack! Right away J-"

"GO ALREADY THEN!" he shouted. The robot hastily flew away and entered a door straight across from him.

Peeling back his cloak from around her, Jack immediately saw up close how badly hurt she was. Many different cuts and scrapes lined her visible arms and legs. And she was filthy, covered in dirt and grime everywhere.

Jack gently flipped her over so she was lying on her stomach. He gingerly peeled back her tattered robes, exposing a back that was just as dirty and injured as the rest of her body. Jack gasped in shock and disgust. _Bastards,_ he cursed. _What did they do to you?_

He turned her back over again and delicately slipped the robe from her left shoulder. Jack didn't dare venture any lower, so he just gazed at her unconscious, grimy form. She breathed softly, her chest just barely rising and falling. His lab was silent, not a single sound made.

Suddenly, a robot sprung up on the other side of the table. "JACK!"

"AHHH!!" Jack Spicer screamed and fell over. He hit the ground hard and lay flat on his back.

"Jack, Sir!" called the Yes-bot, flying over and staring down at him.

"_What?!"_ he asked crossly, sitting up.

"Your water is ready, sir!" Jack took a deep breath and stood up, rubbing his head. _Note to self: destroy all Yes-bots…_ He stood by the table once again, and stared down at Kimiko. He glanced through the open doorway at a large bathtub filled with steaming water and gulped nervously.

Picking her back up in his arms, he walked slowly towards his bathroom. Taking another deep breath, he entered, and shut the door behind him.

This was going to be a lot harder than he thought.


	7. Jack

**Chapter 6- Jack**

"_Omi, please!" she begged. "Please!" Blood began to seep from her broken wrist, covering the hard brown ground with red. She lay helpless on the pathway, her leg twisted and rendering her unable to move. She was cornered._

"_Please Omi! Don't do this!" Unwilling tears streaked her dirty face as she struggled to move away._

_The small teen stood over her, an emotionless expression on his face. He gripped the razor-sharp sword in his hand more tightly._

"_Finish her!" shouted Chase from behind him._

"_Omi, PLEASE!" she cried. "It's me! You don't have to do this!"_

_His eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry," he whispered._

_Her scream filled the air as his sword struck her just below her ribs._

"_NO!" someone screamed. "KIMIKO!"_

Kimiko jolted awake with a small gasp. Instantly, her fingers went to the familiar scar on her side, but she couldn't reach it. She felt around for the tear in her robes, only to feel different material. Frowning, she struggled to sit up.

Her whole body felt heavy with exhaustion as she strained to move upright. Groaning from the dull pain in her head, Kimiko slowly open her eyes.

She was sitting on a cot, in a small white room. Rubbing her eyes, she peered around her surroundings and furrowed her eyebrows. There were no other furnishings except for a door and a chair next to it facing her.

Blinking heavily, she stared down at her body. Her eyes narrowed.

She was clean, she knew that much. Kimiko could barely make out the cuts and scrapes along her body. Her hair hung neatly on her back, combed and untangled. Putting her fingers to her face, she felt a small bandage under her eye.

Suppressing a shiver, Kimiko slowly looked down at the rest of herself. She was wearing a small black skirt and a white t-shirt that fit closely to her body. Running her fingers over the soft fabric, Kimiko's head began to spin. _These aren't my clothes…_

Kimiko shook her head, refusing to let her mind wander to places she didn't want to go. She took a deep breath and rested her head in her hands, trying to clear her mind.

She remembered being forced into that vile auction, and wanting to personally destroy every person she saw there. _Then I was…_Kimiko shivered. _I am not property._

Sighing, she closed her eyes and strained to remember through the pain in her head. Slowly, images of the crowd came to her mind. And then it dawned on her.

Gasping, Kimiko jerked back to reality. _The man in the cloak!_ Kimiko groaned and closed her eyes. _He must have knocked me out and then…_Her eyes flew open. She needed to escape now.

Shakily, she stood up. Her legs trembled underneath of her and she grimaced. All of a sudden, her body gave way. She collapsed to the floor and knelt there breathless.

* * *

Outside the door, Jack Spicer watched Kimiko through a camera. He had sat by his computer most of the night, waiting for when she would awake. When he knocked her out the day before, he knew she would be out for a couple hours. But knowing Kimiko…

Jack gripped the edge of his chair tighter as Kimiko rose from the cot. He knew he had to go in eventually, but he was still uncertain whether she might attack him or not. Jack smiled to himself; even after all these years, he was still almost afraid of a tiny Japanese girl two years younger than him, and a foot shorter.

Sighing, Jack grabbed his cloak and pulled it over his eyes. Kimiko didn't know who he was yet, and he wanted to keep it that way. _Jack you idiot- you _bought_ her; how long do you think you can hide from her?_ Shaking these thoughts from his head, he took one last look at the monitor, took a deep breath and activated the codes to let him in.

* * *

Frowning with confusion and taking another deep breath, Kimiko tried to stand up again. Her legs shook as she struggled to get on her feet. Her whole body seemed weak and refused to support her. Finally on her feet, she slowly took a small step, putting her arm out for balance.

Suddenly, the door opened. A man stood in the doorway, the same black cloak covering his eyes. Kimiko let out a small gasp and lost her balance.

He caught her silently in his arms as she fell. Immediately, she pushed herself away from him and staggered back to the cot. He calmly walked over to the chair facing her and sat down.

They stared each other for a minute, silence overtaking them. Kimiko glared daggers at him, her hands clenched into fists.

"Where am I?" she asked finally.

"My house," he replied, no emotion in his voice. Calmness filled around them, quieting the room once again. Kimiko took a deep breath.

"Why am I so weak?"

"Your body has been under continuous strain and pressure for practically the last three years; now it's starting to rest. You'll regain your strength after your body starts to slow down."

There was silence again. He sat uncomfortably facing her, wondering what to do next. Kimiko looked weak and somewhat vulnerable, but knowing her, he wasn't sure whether she was still capable of attacking him.

A minute passed in the awkward silence. Sighing, he stood up and strode to the door.

"Who are you?"

Jack froze. _Why did she say my name when she was unconscious then? _He sighed and shook his head. "Are you sure you want to know?"

He knew he couldn't hide his identity from Kimiko for any longer, yet somehow couldn't bring himself to face her.

"_Yes." _She sounded slightly annoyed.

Sighing, he slowly pulled down his hood and turned around. Crossing his arms, he faced her.

Kimiko recognized him at once.

"_Jack?!"_ she exclaimed. Her eyes burned with fire as she stared fiercely at him with confusion. He stood there calmly watching Kimiko. She narrowed her eyes and angrily stood up, her hands clenched into fists in front of her.

"_Where am I!? What am I doing here?! What did you do to-"_ she swayed on her feet as Jack came over and gently pushed her back down on to the cot.

"I bought you," he said simply. At once, the fire in her eyes disappeared. She stared at the wall in front of her almost defeated, grasping in her mind what had happened.

Jack bit his lip, unsure of what to do. Slowly, he turned around and walked towards the door.

"You didn't buy me; I belong to no one…" Kimiko said quietly. Jack turned around and stared at her. She looked at him intently, her eyes narrowed and a look of determination on her face. Jack turned to the door once more and opened it.

"Jack?" she said softly.

He turned back around and saw Kimiko looking defeated. Her eyes were wide and shining as Jack faced her. Instantly, her features hardened as she narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

"Feed me you scum, or your money will have gone to waste!"

Jack smiled and walked out the door, reactivating all the locks.

This was Kimiko all right.

* * *

The room was quiet once again. Kimiko stared at the closed door, her head throbbing. Groaning, she slid off the cot onto the floor. Taking a deep breath she brought her knees up to her chest and put her head in her hands.

_Jack,_ the little voice in her head said. _Jack._ Her heart pounded in her chest. _Why him?_

Kimiko knew that Jack had had a crush on her when they were both younger. Now she wondered if she was here for… any special purpose. Kimiko shivered. She needed to escape now.

Kimiko shakily grabbed the cot for support and pulled herself upright. Her legs shook underneath of her and within a second, she collapsed back to the floor. Cursing herself for being so weak, she sighed and pulled her knees back to her chest.

_I have to wait,_ she said to herself. _I'll get food and Jack's guard down. Once I'm stronger, I'll kick his ass and get out of here…_She scowled at the three small, dark spheres in the corners of the room. _He's watching my every move…_

Silence erupted from around her. Kimiko silently stared at the wall ahead of her, her eyes downcast.

_This never would have happened if you stayed with Rai._ The voice returned. _You could have fought them; you were stronger then. It was stupid to run. Because of you, Raimundo and Clay are _dead

She bit her lip as small tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. Forcing them back she swallowed and held her head high.

"They aren't dead because of me," she said slowly, her voice cracking. "Raimundo wanted me to go on. There was nothing I could do..." Her eyes glistening, Kimiko put her head in her hands. _It's not your fault…_ But she wasn't so sure.

From outside the wall facing her, Kimiko suddenly heard a soft series of beeps. The door swung open. Jack stood in the doorway, carrying a tray. She didn't bother to look up.

Silently, he walked over to her and placed the tray on the cot. Jack crossed his arms and stood patiently before her. Kimiko lifted her head and gazed steadily at him.

"Spicer?" she asked wearily.

"Kimiko." There was silence.

"I brought you food," Jack said finally.

She raised her eyes to his and locked eye contact with him, her piercing blue eyes unwavering. He couldn't help but flinch. Kimiko smiled to herself. After all these years, she could still almost bring him down with a single look. Considering that he still looked as weak as the Jack Spicer she once knew, escaping would be easy.

Sighing, she took a deep breath and tried to stand up once more. Kimiko got on one knee, shakily brought her other leg up, and prepared to rise. Jack stooped to her level and stretched out his arm to help her up.

"Don't _touch_ me," she whispered fiercely. Jack ignored her, and pulled Kimiko up onto the cot. He grabbed the tray and pushed it over to her.

"Eat," he said solidly. Kimiko blinked. It wasn't a request; it was a command. She eyed the food suspiciously, a sandwich and a glass of orange juice.

"I didn't do anything to it," Jack said, scattering her thoughts.

"How do I know that?"

Jack let out one of his half-way evil smirks. "Kimiko, believe me. If I was going to poison you, or do anything to you, I would have done it already."

Her stomach growled in protest. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten. Without a second thought, she quickly picked up the sandwich. Within a second, it was gone.

Jack stared at her with amazement. He didn't think that anyone could eat that fast. But here Kimiko was, sitting on the bed looking somewhat stronger already. He could tell that her guard was beginning to go down, voluntary or not. But knowing Kimiko, Jack still didn't trust her.

Once again, silence filled out in between them. But to his surprise, she was the one to speak first.

"Are you going to take me to Chase?"

Jack's eyes flickered. That would be the last thing he would ever consider of doing.

"No."

"Then why did you b- why did you take me here?"

"It's a long story."

Kimiko raised an eyebrow, her eyes narrowed determinedly. "It's not like I'm going anywhere. I've been out of touch with the world for a year- what's going on?"

Jack sighed, forgetting how stubborn Kimiko was.

"Well, Chase took over the world..." _Like she doesn't know that…_

Kimiko rolled her eyes.

"Thanks, Jack. That explains why everything's been dark and I've been in hiding for the past year…"

Jack smirked sarcastically.

"Chase started the slave trade to put down the rebellions. You defy him, you're found hiding, you take part in a rebellion, or if you're just lucky and Chase comes to give your village a little visit- you become a slave. Actually, the lucky ones are condemned to a life of serving the _honored_ Heylin members; Chase Young just usually kills the rest."

Kimiko's eyes had turned dark. Her shoulders were stiff against her torso as she clenched and unclenched her fists. Immediately, Jack realized that he had made a mistake of putting it this way, even though it was the truth.

"I don't support it," he said quietly. Kimiko turned and faced him, her expression cold. "I hate everything Chase is doing. He shouldn't have the power to destroy so many lives."

Kimiko stared at him, her expression unreadable. Her eyes staring past him, he couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"Look," Jack said, running his fingers through his long red hair. "The only reason you're here is because…well, I bought you. I don't know if you remember anything about that horrible auction, but Tubbimura was there. He was going to buy you Kimiko; and I don't know why, or what he had planned for you. I just knew that it wouldn't be very good. You were hurt and…I don't know. It just happened so fast."

She gazed at him in disbelief. This was not the Jack Spicer she knew. Blinking heavily, she tried to follow what he had told her. _Jack saved me…_

"You've changed, Spicer," she said finally.

"You haven't."

But Jack _was_ different. His hair had grown longer, so it hung down shaggy around his head. The marks under his eyes were still there, but they seemed…softer. They fit his face perfectly. Jack was wearing the long black cloak around his shoulders, but even so, black pants and a red shirt peaked through. And, Kimiko was amused to see the same spiral goggles perched within his hair.

"Your eyes…" she said slowly, touching her hand to her face. Subconsciously, he did the same and then smirked.

"I've always had them. Just when I was younger I… amped them up."

Silence filled in between them once again. Her strength was returning quickly. After so many months of fighting and hardships, her body had changed. Any food, any rest no matter how small gave her full energy so that she could go on. Resting for so long had put her body into a small shock, but now it was returning to what was normal.

"Tell me," Jack said, interrupting the silence. "You've asked your questions and now it's my turn. Where have you been? Why are you here now?"

Kimiko's face suddenly grew cold. She tossed her head to the side and looked down at her hands.

"I'm clean," she noted, her heart pounding. Jack turned bright red.

"Robots…" he mumbled. He looked at her straight in the eye. "Don't change the subject."

"That's none of your concern, Spicer."

"Kimiko, in your situation, I wouldn't be telling me what is and is not my concern."

She flinched. "You wouldn't…"

"Try me."

Snapping her head angrily, she faced him once again. "Mountains. Chase's warriors found us. I ran, got caught. Chase found me, but Omi helped me escape. They tortured me. You bought me and knocked me out. Now I'm here. End of story."

Kimiko took a breath as the fire within her eyes faded.

"What about the other Xiaolin losers?"

Her eyes flickered, and she quickly looked away. Jack caught on at once.

"Oh," he said softly. "What hap-?"

"They tried to protect me. His warriors killed them. And it was all for nothing."

"What do you mean?" Kimiko stared at him, her eyes cold and distant.

"I'm _here_ now, _aren't I?" _More silence.

Jack wasn't sure how to respond. He felt his stomach slowly sinking as what had happened dawned on him. _Who would defeat Chase now?_

Unexpectedly, Kimiko stood up and walked slowly to the door. Jack jumped to his feet at once and grabbed her arms.

"Let me go, Spicer," she said threateningly.

"A minute ago you couldn't even stand; now you're about to attack me! How the hell do you-"

She smiled. "My element is fire, Jack, if you haven't noticed. Give it fuel and it will burn for days." Her legs were shaking furiously: Kimiko was using all of her strength to try and stand. She didn't even think she'd be able to take another step, but Jack didn't need to know that.

"You're not going anywhere."

Kimiko pulled away from him and prepared to fight him. She was still too weak to do much, but she was hoping that Jack wouldn't see through her bluff.

But she had no time to react as Jack pulled out two thick white bands and slapped them onto her wrists. Kimiko stared down at the small pieces of plastic that fit close to her skin.

"Completely water-proof, fire-proof; indestructible. I control them. You try to fight me, use your element or leave this house; I have complete control over you. Kimiko blinked and raised an eyebrow.

"Jack, do you really think a strip of plastic will prevent me from using my element? I thank you for the food, but now, I really have to go."

She raised her hands and curled them into fists. Jack just stood there with his arms crossed, looking amused and a smirk on his face.

"_Fire!" _

As soon as she felt the warmth rush to her hands, icy energy flowed through her. It was exactly like what she had felt at Chase's castle, but a hundred times worse. Liquid fire flowed through her veins, burning like fire, but numbing her body. Kimiko cried out in pain and fell to her knees as she collapsed to the floor. She couldn't think or see; the pain was so intense.

Kimiko didn't know how long she lay, submerged in pain. The icy energy never stopped. Her whole body was numb; Kimiko couldn't move a single muscle. Time passed, but it made no concept to her. There was only the pain surrounding her. Subconsciously, she felt someone pick her up and place her back on the cot. And then, she fell into darkness.

* * *

Kimiko gasped and opened her eyes. The pain had faded away some. It was still intense, but not as extreme as before. Groaning, she tried to sit up, only to discover that her wrists were chained to the cot.

The door opening caught her eye; Jack had been watching her. Silently, he took out a key and unlocked the shackles on her wrists. Helping her to sit up, he handed her a cup of tea and sat down in the chair facing her.

"What…was….that?" she gasped after a few minutes, rubbing her wrists. Jack smiled.

"One of my own creations. It responds to body heat. If it senses extreme heat anywhere on your body, then it'll numb you with energy. I also can control them. And there are sensors everywhere. You try to leave my house, or go somewhere I don't want you to go, it'll numb your body until I can find you. And believe me; you won't get very far."

Kimiko stared at him in horror, her heart pounding.

"_Why?"_ she asked in a small voice. "Why keep me here?"

Jack smiled. "I paid a lot of money for you, and I'm making sure I get my money's worth. You'll work for me now."

He turned and strode out the door before she could respond. From the other side, she could hear a complicated pattern of beeps as Jack put a security code on.

Kimiko's head was spinning. Her stomach dropped and she suddenly felt sick as she gazed with shock at the thick white bands, one on each wrist. Swaying back and forth on the cot, she suddenly collapsed back into darkness as her weakness overcame her.


	8. Servitude

**Chapter 7- Servitude**

Kimiko scowled at the white bands on her wrists. Sitting back on the cot, she slammed her hands into the wall, hoping they might break off or crack. Nothing happened. Rubbing her now sore wrists, she glared up at one of the corners of the room, where she knew there was a hidden camera.

It had been three days since Jack had brought her here, and Kimiko hated every second of it. After she had attempted to use her element, the energy seemed to have weakened her body even more. She could only now barely walk.

Kimiko had not even seen Jack that much. Three times a day he came in with food, but then had immediately left. She wasn't sure if he was scared of her and was trying to avoid contact, or was just letting the realization sink in. Either way, she wasn't going anywhere.

Lying down on the cot, she stared up at the ceiling and examined the bands. Made of hard white plastic and about a quarter inch thick, they rested only in one spot of her wrists. _Like,_ Kimiko thought, suppressing a shiver. _Like he had measured._

Aggravated at her weakness and the bands imprisoning her, Kimiko slammed them into the wall once again with what little strength she had. Immediately, the voice of the devil himself echoed from a speaker hidden somewhere.

"Oye! Kimiko! Stop banging on the walls; you're ruining my concentration." She scowled and sat up, her idleness bothering her.

"Then let me out of this hellhole, Jack! I've been rotting here for the past three days." From the speaker came a loud, exasperated sigh.

"Are you strong enough to walk?" Kimiko glared at the corner.

"Yes."

"Then stand up and walk to the door." Rolling her eyes, Kimiko shakily stood up and did as she was told.

"Let me out, Spicer," she called, tapping on the door. A soft series of beeps answered her, and the door swung open. Jack stood in the opening, pulling the spiral goggles off his eyes and resting them in his messy hair.

Grabbing her arm, he pulled Kimiko out into his lab and closed the door. She blinked her eyes in the sudden change of lighting, adjusting to the darkness. Releasing her arm, Jack left her and sat down at his computer, closing out some programs.

Kimiko's eyes widened as she looked around. The lab was messy, bits of wire and metal strewn everywhere, but just the sight startling. Half-finished robots, their plans hastily tacked onto the walls, rested on nearly every surface. The plans were deeply intricate, showing every last detail in words Kimiko couldn't even hope to understand. Complex microchips were stacked all around the lab while a few robots flew around the lab, delivering pieces to different tables and doing something to a computer in the back.

Finishing on his computer with a huge screen, Jack grabbed a piece of metal and walked over to Kimiko, sheepishly running a few fingers through his hair.

"My lab," he said simply, gesturing around the room.

"You've been busy," Kimiko stated, looking around the shadowed room.

"Yeah…Chase is always wanting me to build something for him. I don't really know why, but he just basically supplies me with unlimited money and just asks for something done once in a while. He just wants me to stay out of his way as much as I can. Well, I'm not complaining. Chase would've killed me by now if I kept interfering."

Her eyes wandered to the locations of all the doors and keypads, which she assumed were locks. Jack caught on at once and pressed a button on his watch. Immediately, a small red light turned on all of the doors except for one, which turned green. Walking smoothly back to his computer, Jack grabbed a bucket and sheet of paper. Then, turning, he quickly strode back to Kimiko and thrust it into her arms.

Kimiko blinked as the bucket was given to her, narrowing her eyes. "What's this?" she asked, gripping the handle.

"Work," Jack responded, his voice emotionless. He raised an eyebrow at her, his face suddenly turning cold. Kimiko stared at him and his sudden change of authority.

"What do you mean _work_?!" Jack sighed, handing her the paper. As she read it, he crossed his arms and smirked, eyeing her disbelieving expression.

"Don't you have robots to do this?" Kimiko scowled, looking up from the paper. It was an extensive list of chores.

"Why use robots when I have you?" he asked, his smirk growing. "I told you before, I paid a lot of money for you, and I'm making sure I get my money's worth." He narrowed his eyes at her, becoming stern at once. "Don't attempt to try anything. All the doors are locked; if you even try to open one, I'll know."

Kimiko glared at him, unbelieving that Jack was serious about this. "And what if I refuse?" She asked, the fire lighting in her eyes.

Jack shrugged and pressed another button on his watch. At once, a strain of the energy ran through her body. Kimiko gasped and dropped the bucket, closing her eyes tightly and gripping her wrists. After a few seconds, the energy top, but the pain still echoed throughout her body. Rubbing her wrists and glaring daggers at Jack, she stood up.

"And that was only the weakest amount I could do. Try to go somewhere I don't want you to go, it'll be a hundred times worse than that," he said sternly. Picking up the bucket, Jack put it back in her arms. Grabbing her sore wrist, ignoring her wince in pain, he led Kimiko to the door with the green light and opened it to reveal a staircase. Raising an eyebrow and gesturing to it, a scowling Kimiko walked through.

"_I hate you Spicer,"_ she snarled at him, clenching her hands into fists. She stomped up the stairs, trying to make as much noise as she could.

"That's nice," Jack called back, a little amused. He grabbed the door and looked up at her tiny figure. "Get to work!" Jack shouted, and slammed the door.

Kimiko winced and reached the top level. Sticking her head out of the doorway, Kimiko looked around and noticed a metal door. Dropping the bucket on the floor, she quickly walked over to it and tugged on the handle. Immediately, a large beeping noise went off as the icy energy flowed through her body once again.

This time it was a lot worse, though not nearly as bad as the first day. Gasping in pain, she dropped to her knees and huddled over, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

* * *

Back in his lab at his large computer, Jack sighed as the monitor above him flashed on to reveal Kimiko. Rolling his eyes, Jack increased the power of the door and went back to work. Picking up a blow torch, he covered his unusual red eyes with his spiral goggles and walked to one of the tables.

He wasn't concerned that she could escape; Jack himself had personally installed sensors everywhere in his small house. With a simple push of a button, he could open, lock, or increase the energy at any location. Jack basically controlled Kimiko, and he knew it.

Sighing, he turned on the blow torch and aimed it at two pieces of metal. He gulped nervously at the flame, immediately thinking of the girl upstairs. Jack still had trouble believing that the Xiaolin Dragon was in his house. When he had first arrived, Jack had spent the night increasing the security around his house immensely. The last thing he needed was one of the other Heylin members come around on a surprise visit. Ashley has gotten into the habit of doing that lately.

Shaking his head, Jack quickly molded the two pieces of metal together with the flame. But his thoughts kept wandering back to Kimiko. He couldn't quite grasp the fact that he had _bought her;_ after all, they had been arch nemesis. Jack was angry at himself for putting himself in danger and doing the one thing he knew would ruin his life. But he couldn't have brought himself to leave her to Tubbimura. _And Chase-No matter what,_ Jack thought. _I won't let that vile man get to her._

Jack didn't know why he suddenly felt so protective of her; after all, Kimiko would take no pity on him. Sighing exasperatedly, he turned up the blow torch and adjusted his goggles, now totally absorbed in his work.

* * *

After recovering some time later from the pain, Kimiko, feeling especially weak, followed the hallway she had first entered into another room. It turned out to be a large kitchen, the only room above ground. Kimiko guessed Jack mainly lived in the shadows of the lower level. Scowling at the list of work, she dragged the bucket over to the sink and filled it with water. Crossly, she sat down against the hard tiled surface.

After a few 'reminders' of her duties from Jack, Kimiko got back up and unwillingly grabbed the brush and soap she had found on the counter. Dragging the bucket down to the floor, she got down on her hands and knees, beginning to scrub the floor. Kimiko couldn't remember the last time she had done hand work; probably somewhere in the short two years the monks had had before Chase destroyed the Xiaolin Temple. The memory of Clay and Raimundo suddenly overwhelmed her, and she struggled to keep herself from crying. Biting her lip, Kimiko scrubbed the extremely dirty floor harder, trying to keep her mind away.

Small spheres in each corner of the room alerted Kimiko that she was being watched. No doubt there was a microphone somewhere too; Jack wasn't that stupid anymore. As much as she hated to admit it, Jack was a different person now. It scared Kimiko a little. When he had first revealed himself, Kimiko had expected the gullible, weak Jack Spicer she had known years ago.

But he had matured in a lot more ways than Kimiko could count. Not only did his intelligence seem to increase greatly, Jack was _strong._ She knew escaping would be ten times harder than when he kidnapped her in the beginning of her training. It seemed he had thought of everything to keep her imprisoned. _But why?_ Kimiko wondered, feeling a little sick.

Angrily, she devoted more of her little energy to the floor. The world couldn't wait for her while she was playing maid to _Jack Spicer._ Kimiko was the last Xiaolin Dragon left, and the only one who had a chance against Chase Young. People were dying, the land was being destroyed, hope was forgotten and darkness was engulfing all. Kimiko knew she had to do something before Chase was beyond the point of no return.

* * *

Jack knew how to tire her out; that was for certain. Her head spinning, Kimiko made her way slowly down the steps, feeling like she'd pass out at any second.

She had just finished cleaning basically every surface of the upstairs. Kimiko didn't want to do it at all, and at first she had resisted. But every time she had stopped working for more than a minute, pain would engulf her body from her imprisonment. After a few of the shocks of energy, Kimiko couldn't take it and just did as she was told.

As Kimiko pushed open the metal door leading to the lab, Jack looked from the table, working on a half-finished robot. Pulling off his goggles, he brushed off his hands and stared expectantly at her.

"Finished?" he asked, his voice emotionless. Kimiko glared at him with what little energy she had left, hoping to at least intimidate him. No such luck; Jack seemed to be ignoring her completely.

Without waiting for an answer, Jack sat down on a stool and grabbed a pencil, scribbling away furiously on a set of plans. "Good; now you can scrub the floor down here."

Jack wasn't making her work just to get his money's worth. He was purposefully tiring her out so she didn't have a lot of energy. Jack had seen Kimiko fight many times; she let go almost inhuman strength and skills if she was energized enough. He was trying to keep her subdued. Once she regained her full strength, Kimiko would be able to fight him fully with her martial arts skills. Even though Jack knew he would be ready, and could knock her out with a push of a button, he didn't want it to come to that so soon.

Ignoring the deadly glower from Kimiko, Jack turned to his computer and began to write a program onto a microchip for the robot. Groaning, Kimiko sloshed her bucket of soapy water down the stairs and began to unenergetically scrub the cool floor. It was ten times worse then the room she had just completed. She scowled at the hand brush she held, knowing Jack was purposefully making it harder for her.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room as each of them were absorbed in their own tasks. Kimiko could barely register what she was doing, the brush making endless gray swirls on the dirty floor. Suddenly, the air seemed to still for a minute in anticipation.

At once, red lights lit up the whole lab, encasing everything in an eerie red glow. Beeps, alarms, and sirens began to emit everywhere. Wildly, Jack raced to his desk and turned on the overhead monitor. His face went pale.

The screen showed multiple shots of a blonde haired woman wearing all black get easily around all of Jack's securities. _"Shit," _he whispered, horrified. Grabbing a small white container off the table, he ran over to Kimiko.

"_Put these in!"_ he demanded, staring nervously at the screen.

"…What?!" Kimiko exclaimed, unsure of what was happening.

"_Damn it!"_ Jack shouted, unscrewing the top. "Put your head back and open your eyes!"

Quickly, Kimiko did what she was told. As he emptied the contents into his palm, she suddenly felt something cool slip onto her eyes. Looking down into the smooth surface of the water in her bucket, Kimiko saw that her eyes were now a deep brown.

"She'll be here any second; keep your head down, don't talk unless I tell you to and _do not look at her_!" Jack shouted at her_. Damn it…_he cursed inside. _Why did she have to come today?_ He took a deep breath and sat down worriedly at his computer, putting his head into his hands.

The door suddenly swung open, revealing a tall young woman. _"Jackie," _she called in a high voice, gazing around the room. Her cat-like eyes focused on Kimiko, and her lips curled into a smile.

Kimiko cringed as she recognized the voice. _Katnappe?! What the hell is she doing here?_ Her own heart began to pound as she kept her head down close to the floor, still scrubbing with her brush.

Jack scowled at her and turned away from the computer. "What are you doing here, Ashley?" he asked, thoroughly annoyed.

"_Katnappe,"_ she corrected, striding over to the chair closest to Kimiko. Gracefully sitting down, she crossed her legs, sharp stiletto heels dangerously pointing at the floor. "Word on the street is, you bought yourself a little slave. I came to see if it was true." Her lips parted, revealing a row of slightly pointed teeth. "I guess the rumors were right."

She stared smugly down at Kimiko, tossing her golden hair. "What's your name, girl?" she asked saucily, raising an eyebrow.

Kimiko cringed, but didn't answer. She stared at the brush, feeling suddenly sick inside. Suddenly, Kimiko felt a sharp tug on her hair as Katnappe wrenched her long nails around it, pulling Kimiko's head up.

"I _said_ what's your name, _slave_!" Katnappe snarled, looking down at Kimiko. Pain exploded throughout her head and she cried out, trying not to speak. Her heart pounded in fear, thinking Katnappe would recognize her.

"Yukiyo," Jack said smoothly from the other side of the room. Katnappe turned to face him, her claw-like fingers still curled around Kimiko's hair.

"What?" she growled.

"Her name is _Yukiyo,_ Ashley. She only responds to me. And I'd thank you not to lay a hand on her; she's mine. Get your own."

The woman smiled and leaned back against the table, chuckling. "Yukiyo, huh? What's her story?"

Jack scowled and turned around in his chair. "Parents got stuck in the middle of an argument between Chase's warriors. As a punishment to them, they took her into the slave trade. Now she's here."

"_Interesting,"_ Katnappe murmured, eyeing Kimiko disdainfully. "How much?"

Kimiko narrowed her eyes and gripped the brush harder, the wood beginning to crack under her fingers. _She's talking about me like I'm property! _Flinching, Kimiko realized that's what most humans had turned into; slaves, and the possession of Chase Young overall.

"Not a lot," Jack said calmly, pretending to be unconcerned. Inside, his heart was racing wildly. _What if she figures out that its Kimiko?! Chase will kill me! I knew I shouldn't have done this…_

The woman shorted, revealing her sharp white teeth once again. "I can tell. Who'd want this piece of shit…" She trailed off, nudging Kimiko's side with her foot.

Jack's hair seemed to go on end as his shoulders rose in irritation. With his back to Katnappe, he narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth, trying to calm down.

"Anyway, don't you have robots to do all this for you? Why'd you buy a slave?"

Jack sighed. "…other reasons."

She grinned wickedly and slyly, leaning down near Kimiko's head. "Did you hear that, slave? He wants you for…_other reasons_."

Katnappe laughed maliciously as Kimiko cringed. _Jack doesn't…he won't…_she thought desperately, feeling the effects of her words.

Scowling, Jack turned around in his chair and faced her. "Did you come here for any reason then to annoy the hell out of me and harass my slave?" he growled, glaring at her.

Katnappe straightened in her chair. "Actually, I did. Chase just appointed me in charge of finding the Xiaolin Dragons, since Wuya failed miserably. He's already shoved that purple hag back into the puzzle box," she said rather smugly.

Jack froze in his chair, gulping nervously. But Katnappe was too caught up in her own little rant to notice.

"Aaaand, I've got my first lead on them. Well, her. Apparently Raimundo and Clay were already killed," she laughed, examining her long nails in the little lighting. "But Kimiko was captured. Chase actually saw her; she was in his lair. But then," she sighed, "something happened and she got away somehow…that bitch," she scoffed, eyeing Kimiko on the floor. "They'll be hell to pay once she's caught."

Kimiko flinched and moved away from Katnappe, pretending to be deeply engrossed in the dirty floor. She felt like she was going to throw up at any second.

"Why?" Jack asked, turning coolly back to his computer. "Was Chase mad?"

Katnappe laughed. "You should have been there. He was _pissed._ I've never seen him so angry in my life! He broke out the dragon-form and must have massacred a hundred warriors. Chase hates the Dragons more than anything, Kimiko especially now. He wants her alive, so Chase can kill her himself. That's what is going to be hard once I track her down…not killing her on the spot. But Chase wants them to pay for all they done. And," she sighed dramatically, her face curving into a smirk, "since Kimiko's the last one left, she'll pay for all of them."

"Wonderful," Jack muttered, toying with the keyboard. "Can you leave now?"

Her face twisted into an evil smile. "Don't worry Jackie; you'll _play _with your slave soon enough. You should break her soon, if you haven't already…they're harder to control later on…"

"_GO!"_ Jack shouted, his face turning bright red. His hair whipped around his head wildly, his fury apparent. He stood up out of his chair and walked towards Katnappe, his arm outstretched and pointing at the door.

Giggling, she stood up and purposefully stepped on Kimiko's hand, the sharp heel just barely missing her fingers. "See you, _Jackie_," she cooed, climbing back up the stairs. "Have fun with your new toy."

Her high, irritating voice soon disappeared. Jack ran back to his computer and turned all the screens on, revealing that Katnappe had officially left. Pushing a button, a red light flashed through all the locations on the screen as a robot voice announced, "No detections found. Area secure."

Sighing, Jack slumped back against his chair, putting a hand to his forehead. His red face slowly retreated back to pale, and then a little green. A minute passed in the awkward silence, Kimiko still idly swirling the hand brush on the floor. Finally, Jack spoke.

"She's such…a ditz," he said weakly, blinking heavily at Kimiko. "Yet somehow, she always gets around my security…"

"Why did you do it?" Kimiko asked quietly, kneeling and looking at the floor. Her eyes were distant and full of sorrow, fixated on the cool ground.

Jack blinked again and sat up. "Do what?"

"_Buy me._ You brought me here knowing Chase wanted me dead and the whole world is looking for me! Now you've put us both in danger."

Jack scoffed and sat up. "I don't know_ why_; it just _happened_. Would you rather have let me allow _Tubbimura_ buy you?!"

Kimiko scowled at him and crossed her arms. "That would have been a hell of a lot better then rotting here with you."

"I doubt it," he smirked. "You were injured, weak, basically defenseless and vulnerable. I somehow doubt Tubbimura would have had a lot of pity for you. You should be grateful I stepped in when I did."

"_GRATEFUL?_ For _what?!"_ Kimiko shouted at him, getting to her feet. Her eyes flamed with fire as she angrily clenched her hands into fists. "First you knock me out, do who knows what to me, imprison me in your goddamn house, and make me your person maid! And it sounds like from Katnappe that you have a hell of a lot more things you want to do with me!"

"_You actually believed what she said?!_ I thought you were halfway intelligent! Do you actually think I'd…" Jack couldn't bring himself to say it. Instead, his face turned bright red as he narrowed her eyes. Sighing, he made contact with her. "Why the hell did I even bother? I should have let Tubbimura finish you off."

"You should have," Kimiko hissed. "I can take care of myself. Then I wouldn't be stuck here with you…"

Jack smirked, his eyes cold. "Then tell me why you can barely walk and are exhausted just after scrubbing a floor? You wouldn't have lived for more than a day if I hadn't come."

"_Then let me go!"_ she shouted at him, hurling the brush at his head. Jack stepped to the side as it flew past, dangerously connecting with the wall behind him. "You obviously don't want me here as much as I don't want to be here!"

"_No,"_ Jack whispered, narrowing his eyes. "You're not going anywhere." He wasn't sure why he was being so possessive, but the idea of letting her go seemed unthinkable._ If she gets captured again, they'll want to know where she went…My name is sure to pop up, and then…_

"Then I'll fight you for my freedom!" Kimiko growled, the fire intensifying in her eyes.

Jack scoffed. "Yeah, right. You try and attack me, I'll knock you out with a push of a button," he said calmly, raising his arm with the watch.

"_I'm serious!"_ she snarled, trying to keep her temper from getting the better of her. "I win, you let me go and take these damn cuffs of me. You win…" Kimiko paused and narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I stay…do what you want." Her voice was barely a whisper as she finished.

Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You want to fight? In _that_ condition?" He knew he could win if she wanted to fight now; Kimiko was still weak, and without her element she had little to fight with.

"_Yes."_

"Fine. We fight right here, right now; I win, you stay and do as I ask. You win, I get you out of here."

Kimiko's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected Jack to actually accept. Kimiko knew she had the disadvantage; she was still weak and couldn't use her element. _But if he's still the Jack Spicer I know… _Defeating him would be easy, even in her situation.

"Let's go then. Take these cuffs of and we can't fight."

"Do you honestly think I'm that stupid? No; they stay on, I won't shock you."

Snarling, Kimiko ran at him, hoping to get a few hits in before he could react. Drawing her arm back, she aimed it at his chin and thrust it forward. But to her surprise, he easily caught her wrist and held it, merely inches from his face.

"Try something not as obvious." Narrowing her eyes, Kimiko jumped up and positioned her foot. Driving it forward into his gut, she looked up into his eerily calm eyes to see Jack looking unaffected. Her eyes widened as something struck her off to the side, below the rib.

Gasping in pain, she wrenched herself away from him and jumped backwards. While Jack had caught her wrist, he had taken the hit to the stomach and then used his free hand to attack while she was preoccupied. Originally, he'd been planning to hit a pressure point and knock Kimiko out, but had missed at the poor angle.

As Kimiko clutched her side in pain for a second, she took a deep breath and rushed at Jack once more. Raising her fist, she aimed countless punches at his head. Jack quickly put up his arms to block most of them, trying not to loose his balance.

Kimiko smirked; it was typical of Jack to try to defend himself rather then fight back. Like her pervious attack, Kimiko swung her leg up and kicked him square in the chest. Jack grunted and stumbled backwards.

A considerable amount of pain exploded in her foot as Kimiko herself moved away from him. Wincing and breathing heavily, she rested for a second, standing only a few feet away from Jack.

Removing his crossed arms from by his head, Jack quickly took his advantage. He knew Kimiko was short on energy; she would only be capable of meager attacks. Jack had grown noticeably stronger during the past few years, a lot stronger than Kimiko turned him out to be. _Never underestimate your opponent._

Rushing forward, Jack leapt at Kimiko before she could react. Skidding along the cool floor, he dodged behind her and wrapped an arm around her neck and one around her waist. Kimiko cried out in surprise, instantly trying to get free. Working free an elbow, she whacked him in the stomach and managed to loosen his grip on her. Bringing up a leg and kicking Jack right on the knee, she sprang away from his arms and landed hard on the ground.

She wasn't fast enough though; Jack had seen her weak moment and taken advantage of it. Within seconds, Kimiko felt herself being tackled to the floor. Crying out again as she hit the ground, her hands were suddenly wrenched from her sides and forced above her head. An intense weight settled upon her legs, and Kimiko frantically looked up to see Jack's face only an inch from hers.

He had pinned her. Kneeling on her legs to keep them from moving, Jack had grabbed her wrists and held them against the floor by her head. Squirming ferociously under his grasp, Kimiko frenetically tried to get away but it was no use. After a few hopeless minutes, Kimiko went limp under his body, depleted of energy.

Her piercing eyes stared angrily up at his as Kimiko gave up the struggle. His lips curving into a smirk, Jack lowered his head even to closer to hers.

"_I win."_


	9. Desperation

**Chapter 8- Desperation**

Kimiko's whole body felt sore as she glared up at Jack. He paused for a moment as his words took effect, then slowly released her. Getting to his feet, he crossed his arms and stared down at her.

She painfully sat up, her head spinning. The room went in and out of focus as she stared numbly at the wall. The room was silent except for the faint humming of computers and robots. Then, she began to fall backwards again.

Jack sighed and grabbed her arms, pulling Kimiko to her feet. She weakly stood for a moment, and then let her knees collapse. Jack quickly wrapped his hands around her waist to keep her from falling, catching Kimiko just before her knees would have hit the ground.

The air became quiet again as her head fell forward against his chest. Jack stood frozen for a minute, still supporting Kimiko around the waist.

_Oww…_Kimiko breathed gently against his chest, her mind swirling. For a moment she was sure she was going to pass out, but then regained control. Her eyes flickered open, and for the first time Kimiko realized she was leaning against Jack.

Snarling, she pushed herself away from him, regaining her balance and stumbling backwards. Kimiko clutched her side as a sharp pain erupted by her waist where Jack had struck her. She grimaced and closed her eyes against the pain, falling into the chair by his desk.

Jack, unsure of what do, hesitantly stood then brushed a few strands of messy hair out of his face. He calmly walked over to her and knelt down, prying her fingers away from her side.

Instantly, a fist caught him powerfully on the chin. He grunted and stumbled backwards, loosing his balance and crashing to the floor on his back.

"_Don't touch me_," Kimiko hissed at him faintly, her eyes burning dimly with fire. Her breathing was heavy as Jack ruefully got to his feet, rubbing his chin.

"Ow," he commented.

"_Bastard."_

"It wasn't a fair fight," Jack said, crossing his arms and glaring down at her. His features began to harden as he once again took on the icy manner he had gained from the past three years. They glared at each over for a minute, Kimiko numb over what had happened. She barely moved an inch as her mind heart sank in horror._ No…How could I have lost?_

"Bastard."

"Thanks," Jack said sarcastically. He glanced at the clock on his computer: it was almost five in the afternoon. Sighing and running a few fingers through his hair, he walked over to Kimiko and roughly grabbed her arms, pulling her to her feet. He bluntly ignored her weak attempts to get away and the string of curses directed at him. Jack knew Kimiko's energy was fading fast: she had probably used the last of her real strength to punch him at the end.

As Kimiko weakly tried to wrench herself away from him, Jack quickly switched his grip so that he was holding on to her wrists with one hand above her head. Then, dragging her over to the door, Jack pushed a button on his watch. Immediately, a couple sensors revealed themselves. A small red beam scanned his eyes, and a beep sounded. Bypassing the keypad, he pushed open the door and shoved Kimiko inside.

She stumbled backwards and dropped onto the cot, grunting as she fell backwards. Her sore body was beginning to give in to the stress of the day. Jack leaned in the doorway, blocking any means of getting out.

He smirked as the girl struggled to get back on her feet. "Rest, Kimiko," he said softly. "You'll exhaust yourself even more, and then you'll be weaker than you already are. Want to go back to not walking?"

Kimiko felt like she was about to cry. Angrily, she forced herself off the cot and stumbled over to Jack, glaring up at him. He looked calmly down at her, ready to act if tried to pull something sudden.

"_I don't belong to you,"_ she said, her voice growing deadly soft. She was only inches away from Jack, every lethal power she still possessed going into her eyes. He flinched but didn't move away.

"You may have won this time…but I'm not going down without a fight. I will _never _serve you: be sure of that. And once I get out of this hell hole…_watch out_. You may have saved my life, but now-"

Jack froze, but didn't back down. "I think it's the other way around," he said coolly, interrupting her. Firmly tilting her chin up at him, Jack narrowed his eyes, immediately taking on an evil and almost merciless appearance. _What the hell are you doing?_ He had no idea why he was acting the way he was.

Kimiko felt a shiver run down her spine as she cringed against his touch. She had never seen him look this threatening and dominant before: it was like he was two different people. She unintentionally shrank back a little, and her glare faltered. Kimiko's knees threatened to give out from lack of energy, and she forced herself to stay standing.

Jack smirked again as he saw a tiny wave of fear run through her eyes.

"_I bought you._ In your situation, I wouldn't be making any threats, especially when you're weak and helpless. I have power over you. And you'll do good to remember that."

With that, he trailed his fingers off her chin and placed two of them at the base of her neck. Before she could react, he pressed his fingers into her skin. Kimiko gasped and fell to her knees, clutching the spot where he had touched her. _Damn pressure points…_

Jack crossed his arms and looked down at her, then turned and strode through the doorway. "I'll bring you dinner later…." With a complicated series of beeps at the keyboard lock, he left Kimiko alone in the room.

Sighing heavily, Jack dropped into his chair and stared at the computer screen. His own head felt heavy as he reentered one of his programs for a robot, canceling out the image of Kimiko still breathless on the floor.

Jack put his head in his hands and took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind. He had been a lot harsher than he had meant to Kimiko, but Jack was sure without it she could have intimidated him. Rubbing his forehead, he grabbed a pad of paper and began to sketch a set of blueprints.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

He narrowed his eyes and began a calculation, his pencil flying across the blank page. Within a second, Jack scowled and crumpled the paper into a ball chucking it at the nearest Yes-bot. The soft _Ping!_ of paper on metal wasn't satisfying at all.

Glaring at the pad of paper, he reached out for the touchpad of the computer before he could stop himself. An image of Kimiko lying on the cot filled the screen, and he froze, staring at the picture. The pencil dropped from his hands and hit the floor with a soft plink.

Jack leaned forward, his eyes still on Kimiko. The whole lab was silent as he barely blinked. _Wait…_ As if Jack had just realized what he was doing, he jumped out of the chair, knocking it over as well as a stack of blueprints. Shaking his head in disbelief, he strode over to the computer and firmly turned it off.

Grabbing the pad again and an unfinished robot, Jack began to heatedly bang away at the pieces of metal.

_This is ridiculous…Why am I acting this way?!_

_I should have let Tubbimura have her. _

_Damn right you should have._

_But…Who knows what he could have done to her!_

_So? At least you wouldn't be killed. If Chase finds out…_

Angrily, Jack angrily sighed in irritation and furiously swiped everything off his desk. The unfinished robot crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces. Irately he swung his foot out and kicked it, sending pieces of metal flying across the lab.

Jack took a deep breath and put a hand to his head before storming over to his bedroom. Opening the door, he whirled around and faced some of the robots who had curiously made their way from their stations. "Yes-bot!" he snapped at the little waiter-robot. "Cook something for dinner and clean up the lab!"

"Yes, Jack! Coming right away Jack! Anything at all-"

Jack slammed the door and retreated into the darkness.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

The days passed slowly. It began with one day. Then two. The third passed slowly, as did the fourth. Soon the fifth day was dawning as realization set in.

Kimiko wasn't going anywhere.

Each day was practically the same. She awoke in the same fashion to see the cuffs still around her wrists, and still confined in the tiny room. After being escorted to the bathroom, Kimiko took a quick shower and got dressed: Jack had gone into the nearest town to get clothes for her.

He had soon discovered that she could cook, so she then made breakfast for them both. Too bad a robot checked the food for poison and deadly substances before it reached him. She had tried to fill a glass of juice with some drain cleaner, hoping it might be enough to paralyze Jack for a bit, or just finish him off.

She then learned that the robot had as much power over her as Jack did with the cuffs.

Kimiko felt as if she was slowly dying. The realization had sunk in, leaving her without energy. She refused to think that Jack had "broken" her, like Katnappe had suggested almost a week ago. _I am Kimiko Tohomiko. I am the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire. I'm going to kick Jack's ass and get out of here…_

But now, she wasn't so sure.

Jack had changed in so many ways. Over the days, Kimiko had watched him at work. Not only was he mature, stronger and perhaps a bit less evil, his intelligence had seemed to intensify greatly. She watched him as he furiously scribbled blueprints for a robot, and then build it in an hour. A large chalkboard filled with untidy equations and numbers and expressions she couldn't even begin to hope to understand was often by his side.

It was like another Jack had replaced him in the last three years. He no longer even resembled the lanky, pathetic boy he was.

And that scared Kimiko. She knew how deeply she had underestimated him. Now it would be ten times harder to get away. She was restless and pained: people were dying, and she could do nothing to stop it. Chase Young showed no mercy to anyone, and Kimiko knew it wouldn't be long until darkness totally consumed the world.

And yet, life went on. Kimiko continued to lifelessly perform her "duties" as Jack held her captive.

Kimiko sighed as she placed the broom back into the small closet, staring dully at the metal door. She quietly closed it, then turned and walked pack into the main part of the lab. Jack was typing a program at his computer, his eyes totally fixed on the screen.

She stopped short and jumped back as a small robot with a load of scrap metal flew past. A piece of the metal fell to the ground at her feet. She gently picked it up and nearly dropped it in surprise; the edge had instantly cut her. A large trickle of blood flowed down her finger.

Kimiko glanced up at Jack for a minute, her heart pounding. Sticking her bleeding finger in her mouth for a minute, she silently and carefully slipped the sharp piece of metal into the waistband of her skirt. Kimiko felt a little cold as she walked quickly over to her room. Jack usually left it open during the day and just locked her in at night.

He was still staring deeply at the screen, the cameras in her room turned off. She quietly entered and slipped the sharp piece of metal under the springs of the thin mattress.

"Kimiko! Come here for a second."

She jumped and whirled around as his voice echoed through the room. _Did he see?!_ Kimiko hesitantly came out, trying to look as innocent as possible. But, his eyes were still fixed on the program. She sighed and rolled her eyes in both relief and annoyance.

"Yes,_ Master_?" she said sarcastically. He was seated with his back towards her, furiously typing away at his computer. Glancing to his side once at her and a robot sitting on his desk, Jack continued to type.

"Don't call me that. And can you get a microchip for me? The one on the top of the shelf in the far corner."

She scowled at him and looked where he said. "Couldn't you have just gotten a robot to do that?"

"Why use a robot when I have you? Besides, the Yes-bot is the only one not working…And he's feeling a little under the weather."

She raised an eyebrow and turned to the pile of metal by his feet, topped by a gleaming head of the irritating machine. '_Under the weather'. Yeah, right._

"…Fine." Sticking her tongue out at the back of his head, Kimiko slowly walked over to the shelf, trying to take as much time as possible. She still tried to fight Jack as much as possible. Kimiko purposefully took the literal meaning of his orders and performed them as slowly as possible. She was hoping he might let her go just because she wasn't worth the trouble.

Kimiko jumped a little as a strain of the energy flowed through her body. Muttering a string of curses at him, she picked up her pace, rubbing her sore wrists.

"This shelf?" she called, staring up at the largest and tallest in the lab. The shelf was at least twice her height.

"Yeah. There should be a little box on the seventh shelf. There's a couple of them in there, but I only need the green one."

_Damn you Jack._

Pulling over what appeared to be a large, black, metal box, Kimiko climbed up onto it and strained to reach the tiny chip. Her hands could barely touch the shelf under it.

Suddenly, with a small rumble, the box she was standing on decided to walk away. Kimiko cried out in surprise and stupidly grabbed the shelf to hang on instead of just jumping down. Her feet dropped from underneath of her as Kimiko struggled to get them on one of the lower shelves. The metal was slick, and her flimsy shoes slid right off.

Kimiko hung for a second, feeling her hands begin to slip as well. _Wait… Aren't I only a couple feet off the ground?_

At that moment, Jack glanced up from his computer and saw her struggling to get a hold. He jumped to his feet, abandoning the program. "Hold on Kimiko! I'm coming!" He didn't want her to fall and break something. Her body was still frail: and it had been torture enough for Jack to take care of Kimiko when she had just arrived wounded.

She didn't see him coming and let go, preparing to neatly land on her feet. Just as Kimiko dropped, Jack was right next to her, his arms outstretched.

Neither of the two were prepared for what happened next. Kimiko was completely unaware that Jack was right next to her. As she tried to land neatly on the floor, his arms wrapped around her waist in midair. With her back pressed against his chest, Kimiko looked up in surprise and instantly lost her balance. Jack tried to pull her back upwards as she fell, but only succeeded by being pulled down, as his hands still encircled her waist. The two crashed to the ground, Kimiko's eyes were wide before she was the first to hit the floor.

* * *

There was a moment of pure silence, then a brief period of darkness. A large pain erupted in the back of Kimiko's head, and she instantly jolted back to reality.

_Oww…_She groaned and fluttered her eyelids, not sure of what had just happened. There was barely a sound in the lab as Kimiko realized she was lying on her back on the floor. Narrowing her eyes with some confusion, she tried to get up only to have a great weight on her chest holding her down. Kimiko let herself fall back to the ground, realizing that her arms were pinned to her sides as well. It was a very uncomfortable position, and she jerked as she realized the weight was moving.

_What the…_

Jack was lying on top of her, chest-side down, his arms still wrapped around her. His head was resting just above her chest at the base of her neck. As her heart began to pound, she could feel warm whispers of air blowing against her skin.

"…Jack!" she said loudly, trying to shift out from under him. But he was a lot heavier than she was, making it virtually impossible. Kimiko tried to move her legs, but they were pinned as well.

He groaned softly and gripped her tighter, turning his head to the side and continuing to rest on top of her. "Five mor' minutes…" Jack mumbled, obviously oblivious to the situation.

"_JACK!"_ Kimiko hissed. "Get the hell off of me!"

He groaned again and lazily opened his eyes, turning his head so that his chin was resting right at the top of her chest. "What if I don't want to?" Jack said softly, staring into her eyes. Kimiko tried to shift her arms about under his death grip then looked up, blue meeting red.

They stared at each other for a minute, neither making any attempt to move. Jack could feel his heart pounding loudly in his chest.

"…Jack."

"Oh…Sorry." Jack could feel his face getting hot as Kimiko arched her back. He slid his hands out from around her, slightly touching the cool skin of her back. It sent shivers up his spine. Carefully getting off of her, Jack quickly stood up and extended a hand to her. His face was bright red.

Kimiko shakily sat up and grabbed his hand, using more of Jack's support than of her own to keep her balance. An awkward silence filled the air between the two.

"I…err…I didn't want you to-"

"I didn't see you," Kimiko interrupted softly.

Jack sheepishly ran a few fingers through his hair, wondering if Kimiko could have felt his erratic heart beat through his chest. "I'll…I'll um. I'll just get back to work." He activated his Heli-pack and easily grabbed the chip, landing a few feet away from her. Jack smiled awkwardly at Kimiko and began to back away, running into a file cabinet and nearly knocking it over as well.

Kimiko's cheeks were flushed pink as she tried (and failed) to return a small smile, looking rather confused. Jack slowly turned his back on her and began to walk back to his desk, feeling utterly stupid and quite hormonal.

The last week had felt like the first couple of instances from when he had first met Kimiko. He had only been fifteen, the girl thirteen. But every time he had seen her, his damn pubescent hormones had gone off wildly.

And now here he was, four years later, and the sight of Kimiko still made his heart rate increase.

_What the hell are you doing Jack? Get a grip on yourself!_

"Jack?"

He turned around in his chair as Kimiko called his name. "Yeah?"

"Umm…Is there anything else you want me to do or-" She was cut off by a loud series of beeps coming from Jack's pocket.

"Oh…Hold on." He removed a small black phone and hit a button, frowning at the name that appeared. Flipping it open, he placed it by his ear. "I'm kind of busy Ashley. What the hell do you want? And this better be-"

"_JACK! There's a new rebellion! The humans are revolting against Chase!"_


	10. Rebellion

**Chapter 9- Rebellion**

"What the hell do you mean there's a rebellion?!" Jack shouted into the phone. He scrambled to his desk and began to type furiously at his computer, a shocked expression on his face. Kimiko was completely forgotten.

The giant screens above him turned on to reveal footage of a giant massacre, the humans fighting desperately and angrily against jungle cats and some transformed warriors. He narrowed his eyes as he pulled up a map of the world. There was a large red blob towards the east of China, and it was rapidly spreading to the neighboring lands. Red was beginning to appear more and more in Europe and North America as Jack stopped his frantic typing for a minute. He stared at the map, an expression on his face of anger and wonder …and a bit of hope.

"It's the biggest one we've had yet!" Katnappe yelled back through the phone. Jack winced and pulled the phone slightly away from his ear and the loudness. He could faintly hear some people yelling in the background, freezing as he clearly heard Chase Young bark an order. "Chase has deployed almost all of his troops to put it down! Everyone thought it was just like the others, but the humans are a lot stronger than we predicted.

"Shit…" Jack muttered darkly, staring at the screens. "I assume Chase wants me to send in robots….Give me the exact location of where it started and the worst areas of fighting."

"You got it Jackie. The info's coming now."

Kimiko stared at the screens from behind him, frozen in shock. Her eyes went wide and lit up, full of hope: the fire that had left her for so long had finally returned. She silently formed the word rebellion on her lips as she slowly grasped one of the white cuffs. Her eyes wandered to a small keypad on the door. _This could be my chance…_

"I'm on it…" Jack muttered reluctantly. He entered one of his control panes and entered a security code. Instantly, the sound of propellers could be heard through the thick walls as he set off the shipment. "They'll be there in under an hour."

Her eyes wandered to Jack as he spoke, and a bit of shock was registered in her expression. He had looked strangely hopeful and he shouldn't have: Jack was a Heylin villain and should have been angry.

Kimiko's gaze became even more cautious as she watched his reluctance after sending the forces, he and Katnappe continuing to speak in angry tones. She had been totally forgotten.

No eyes were on her.

A sudden concept ran across her mind, and she whirled around, focusing on one of the small keypads by the metal door leading to upstairs. Over the past few days, Kimiko had memorized all of Jack's controls and what they did…And this keypad was one of the main pieces of technology in his lab. Jack could do almost anything with it…Including removing the cuffs.

All she was missing was the password. Kimiko knew it was a word with nine letters, and she knew the tones of the beeps as they were pressed. Her eyes widened as she began to move towards the pad, almost in a trance. Everything made sense now: Jack's reluctance, his hope, his attitude against Chase.

_Jack…Is that what you really want?_

Her feet had carried her to the keypad, and now Kimiko was only letters away from breaking the cuffs off. Her hands shook as she reached out to press the first letter of the password.

_R_

A small red light appeared at the bottom of the pad, connecting to a light of her cuffs.

"How long has it been since it started?" Jack demanded from behind her. The phone was pressed between his ear and his shoulder as he rapidly typed, entering and exiting a few programs to control the bots he had sent. Kimiko barely heard him as she located the next letters.

_E, B_

"An hour. I would have contacted you sooner, but this Rebellion is spiraling out of control and Chase is furious. He nearly killed me when-"

_E, L, L_

"_An hour?!" _he interrupted in disbelief, staring at the glowing red spread that marked the Rebellion's progress. "It's only been an hour and it's this fucking bad?"

_I, O_

"That's not even the worst part! Rumors are flying and a few have been confirmed…"

Suddenly, all the footage of the Rebellion flipped off of the screens, replacing it with video from around his house. A loud wail of a siren echoed around the lab as the lights turned red and began to flash. Jack stared horror stricken as he watched the screens, knowing there were intruders near.

"Jack, there's been sightings of-"

_N._

Three things happened at once.

The phone dropped wordlessly from Jack's hand, crashing to the floor and shattering into tiny pieces as two figures crossed the screen. Both were male, tall and well built.

He whirled around and saw the cuffs dropping from Kimiko's wrists as the light on the keypad turned green. Upstairs, there was a loud bang as his front door was torn down.

"_Shit!"_ Jack snarled, bolting to Kimiko. He grabbed the cuffs off the floor and snapped them back on her wrists, then grabbed her around the waist and effortlessly swung her into his arms. Kimiko seemed to have frozen in shock for a moment, as she didn't resist until Jack began running away from the panel.

"Jack, what the hell is-"

"We're being attacked!" he shouted, running to his computer to send a few guard bots upstairs. He dropped Kimiko to the floor, then pressed a button on his watch. Instantly, one of the heavy shelves moved away from the wall, revealing a door. He whirled around as another banging came, this one closer. They were trying to get into the lab. Jack grabbed Kimiko and roughly shoved her through the opening, then slammed the door shut. About twenty locks slid into place as he pulled her close to him and away from the heavy door.

They were in a tiny room, completely encased in metal and flashing pieces of equipment in the walls. Jack had installed it himself when he built his house. It was a safe-room: if he was ever in trouble and needed protection, he could lock himself in and no one could enter. The room was virtually indestructible, and only could be opened by Jack's DNA.

Kimiko looked around in confusion, flinching slightly as Jack's arms wrapped around her from behind. She was ultimately calm, and that made her a bit uneasy. The fact that she had been millimeters away from escaping, and that Jack had stopped her, hadn't quite registered in her mind.

She swallowed and turned to look at Jack as loud crashes and sounds of glass shattering could be heard from outside. He looked angry and extremely pained, wincing at every sound of breaking. His life's work was being destroyed…And he could do nothing to stop it. They were both silent as Kimiko gently escaped his arms and moved closer to the door. Jack made no move to stop her.

His eyes were dark and set in a straight line as he listened to his heart pound in his chest. Jack knew the intruders would never be able to get to them…But this was the first time he had ever had his safe-room put to such a test. The shelving would have covered the door again by now, so he had hope that they might not even notice they were hidden.

_How did they know?_

Abruptly, the crashes stopped as the males outside took a break from destroying his lab. There was a bit of silence, and then the voices began.

"-Over there….maybe-"

"That bastard…She has to be-"

He could hear the urgency of the tones as what he now knew what was a search continued. Jack nervously glanced towards Kimiko, hoping she hadn't heard. The voices were all too familiar.

Kimiko's mouth opened as she silently crept closer to the door. Her eyes were wide in pure shock. The voices sounded like…No. It couldn't be_. He's gone Kimiko. There's no way-_

"KIMIKO!"

"Kimiko! Where are you?!"

"Raimundo?" she whispered hoarsely. Her face turned stark right as she put a hand to the door, beginning to breathe heavily. "R-Raimundo?"

"Kimiko!"

"Kimiko, say something!" There was a large crash as one of the shelves knocked over in the lab.

"Raimundo," Kimiko said weakly. _"RAIMUNDO!"_

She began to pound frantically on the door, shouting at the top of her lungs. Her eyes were desperate as she pounded harder and faster, her movements frantic and wild.

"Raimundo! Clay! Oh god, I'm in here! _Please!_"

Jack swore loudly and bolted to Kimiko, roughly tackling her and pressing her against the metal door. "Quiet!" he hissed, yanking her forcibly away. He dragged her backwards as Kimiko kept yelling, frantically struggling and trying to get back to the door.

"NO!" she screamed, clawing at his arms. "No! RAIMUNDO!" She broke free for a moment and ran forward towards the door. Jack quickly grabbed her by the wrist and sharply yanked her body back against his.

"Clay…Did you hear that? Kimiko! Kimiko, shout again!"

Jack closed his fingers firmly around her mouth as she clawed at him. He dragged her back and tripped over her flailing legs, falling to the floor with Kimiko still in his arms. Her body was shaking against his as she thrust herself to the floor, pounding as hard as she could once again. He could hear her muffled screams through his fingers, and he gripped her mouth tighter in an attempt to silence her.

He didn't let go of her as he dropped his chest against her back. Not letting go of her mouth, Jack used his other arm to grab her two wrists and hold them together so she couldn't use them. He lay across her body even more and firmly intertwined his legs with hers. The girl was immediately immobilized.

Kimiko continued to scream against his hand and struggle, fighting back the tears that were coming to her eyes. She desperately tried to get free, refusing to give in to Jack. _Raimundo! Clay!_

"Earth!" There was a scraping sound as the shelf concealing the door was dragged away. Jack grimaced and held her down tighter. He didn't mean to be so violent and rough, but there was no other way to contain her. If the Xiaolin monks knew she was with him, they would not rest until they got her back.

"Kimiko! Are you in there?"

"Stand back partner. I'm going to knock it down…Earth!" A large, fist sized dent in the door appeared. Kimiko whimpered and attempted to bite Jack, but he merely tightened his grip.

More and more dents appeared in the door after several minutes, but they didn't break through. Jack listened to a heavy sigh from the other side, debating whether he could restrain Kimiko and deploy a few canisters of knock-out gas at the same time.

"Rai, I can't get through…And I don't think she's in there. There's no-"

"She has to be! There's no other place he could-"

"Raimundo! Kim would have answered if she was…Jack moved her somewhere else if she ain't here."

"I heard her Clay! I'm not leaving without her!"

"We don't have time buddy! Chase's warriors know we're out there, and we may only have ten minutes at most before they find us! We gotta get away now, but we'll be back again…We'll find her, but now our lives are in danger and if we get caught, no one will be able to save 'er."

The voices began to fade away, and Kimiko closed her eyes. Her body went limp as she stopped struggling, but now she was beginning to cry silently. Jack kept holding her, looking away with a pained expression as she shook beneath him.

After a few minutes, a green light went on, alerting Jack that his home was once again secure. He sighed and slowly got off of her, crossing his arms as he stood up.

Kimiko curled her legs to her chest and rolled onto her side, staring numbly at the floor. There was silence as Jack continued looking at her, not bothering to open the door. He didn't want to see the damage yet. After a minute, his cool frocade broke and he opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm…Sorry."

"You _bastard,_" she muttered darkly. Kimiko regained hold of herself as she got to her feet. Her body was now shaking with rage, eyes narrowed and full of anger. "_You BASTARD!"_

She threw herself at him, overcome with anger and her fists flailing. As she aimed the first punch, he stepped forward, his arms outstretched. Jack pulled her into his embrace and held her tightly there. As Kimiko fell into his arms she collapsed, her knees buckling as her body gave out.

Jack tightened his arms around her and pulled her body against him to support her. Kimiko's head fell against his chest as she sobbed loudly, her tears wetting her shirt. Every emotion she had restrained from the beginning was tearing loose, destroying all of her carefully planned defenses in one swoop. She couldn't stop the intense shaking of her body, or the sobs that wracked her.

"Why?" she sobbed finally, her voice weak and muffled by his chest.

Jack was silent for a moment before he answered. "They would have killed me and taken you."

"_I would have killed you!"_ Kimiko shouted, yanking herself away from him. She tried to escape his arms but he held her tightly. "God Jack! It was Raimundo and Clay! You say you hate Chase, but then you stop me from leaving? We're the only people who can stop him Jack! I need them! How could you?!" She could barely speak as the sobs overcame her body, collapsing totally in his arms.

_But I need you. _Jack pulled her tighter against him and took a deep breath, putting one hand behind her head. He was silent again, knowing he could never say what he was thinking. He held her and ignored Kimiko's occasional feeble jerk to get away.

After a few minutes she went limp again, exhausted from her anger and frustration. The sobs attacking her body became less violent as she slowed her breathing. Kimiko was devastated.

"I hate you…"she whispered, clear hate in her voice.

Jack let out a slow breath and stared at the metal door behind her. "I know…" he said softly back, closing his eyes. "I know."

* * *

The small room was dark as Kimiko opened her eyes. She felt weaker than she ever had in her life, and the darkness was pulling her down. Kimiko couldn't hold on for much longer here: she felt as if her soul was dying.

A few hours earlier, Jack had finally opened the safe room to find most of his lab torn apart. Luckily, most of his equipment had been spared in the wreckage, so it wasn't a complete disaster. He had carried her to her room, left her without saying a word, then went out to sort out his lab. She had unwillingly fallen asleep, and now she was up again.

Kimiko slowly swung her legs to the floor from the cot, gripping the edges tightly. She reached between the mattress and pulled out the sharp piece of metal, fingering it in the darkness. She stared at the reflection of her eyes, softly glowing even though there was no light.

She sighed heavily and laid back down, the piece of metal still in her hand. There was a heavy feeling in the back of her throat, and she quickly closed her eyes to stop the tears from coming. _I can't do this anymore…I need Raimundo. And Clay._

Kimiko got to her feet and slowly crept to the door, ready to attempt to pick the lock with the piece of metal. But appeared she didn't need to: Jack had apparently left the door open. With the stress of the day, Kimiko figured he had forgotten…But why would he have had needed to? The cuffs would prevent her from going anywhere.

She took a deep breath and crept into the darkness of the lab, glancing around carefully to avoid any sign of movement. The lab was still in shambles: Jack hadn't had time to clear up most of the damage.

Kimiko quickly located the door she knew to be Jack's room and began to make her way through the wreckage towards it. She cursed as she tripped over a fallen robot head, looking up to make sure she hadn't disturbed anything. Within moments she was standing in front of his door. Narrowing her eyes, she quickly prepared herself for what she had to do next. Then, she pushed the door open.

She had never actually been in Jack's room before. He hadn't ever allowed her in. The room was red with black trim and tastefully decorated in a Goth-like style, with a few posters of rock bands and a few cars dotting the walls. There was a dark bureau pressed up against a wall with a small mirror hanging over it, along with a few various combs and trinkets scattered around the room. Her gaze fell into the darkest corner of the room, and she stopped.

Jack was sprawled upon a futon, wearing nothing but a pair of cotton pajama pants and of course, the spiral goggles in his hair. There was a thin beam of moonlight upon his body coming from a small skylight above him, making Jack seem even paler.

Kimiko gripped the piece of metal tighter and slowly advanced, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. He was so peaceful, so unknowing and vulnerable to what Kimiko was about to do. She silently knelt by his head, staring at his unconscious form regretfully.

She looked at the piece of metal before flipping it around so that the sharp side was facing out. With a look of quiet determination, Kimiko placed it against his neck. Her hands were shaking.

"_Do it."_

Kimiko took a sharp intake of breath as Jack slowly opened his eyes, staring at her. He made no attempt to move or defend himself, merely stared at her with unpitying eyes. "Do it now. Kill me."

"I have to," Kimiko answered softly, her voice sounding weak. "There's no other way. If I don't kill you…Millions of others will die. I can't let that happen."

Jack looked up at her, his red eyes almost glowing. "Then do it…Or are you afraid?"

""I have to!" she shouted at him, tears brimming in her eyes. "We have to bring down Chase. That man is evil…And one life for millions is a small price to pay."

"No…" Jack whispered calmly, closing his eyes again. "He'll kill you."

"I'm not afraid to die!" she snapped, pressing the sharp metal a degree harder against his neck. "I can't avoid this…I can't!" Tears were running down her face now, and she couldn't stop them.

Jack reached out and put a hand to her cheek, slowly wiping away the tears. "Then kill me."

A small sob erupted from the back of her throat as she continued to hesitate. Something was holding her back, but Kimiko couldn't overcome it. A minute went by in silence, Jack still gazing steadily at her.

The metal slipped from her hands and fell to the floor as she broke into a quiet sob. Then, Jack saw his advantage and took it.

Suddenly, Kimiko felt herself be pressed into the futon, her hands held up by her head on either side of her. Jack had taken her hesitance to pin her. He slowly moved one of his bent legs up between hers, gently grasping her yet using most of his weight to hold her down. They stared at each other in the darkness, neither making an attempt to move.

Their eyes connected and Jack felt a small wave of energy move through him. Forces were tugging him down towards her, but he resisted and kept his gaze steady. Kimiko's eyes were wet and shining in the moonlight, her dark hair framing her pale face and making her appear hauntingly beautiful to Jack. Somehow in the process, her shirt had slightly rolled up, revealing her bare skin, and Jack was only reminded more of the girl underneath of him.

Tears silently rolled out of Kimiko's eyes as they looked at each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. She didn't struggle, merely let her body go limp and let him hold her. Her body was almost acting on its own: she was quite peaceful even in this situation.

"Why?" she asked at last, her voice faint and a bit shaky. She couldn't move her eyes from his as her heart beat slightly faster.

Jack stared at her, a soft look in his eyes. He couldn't respond, couldn't say what he wanted to.

_Because I love you._

He hadn't even noticed that it had been a few minutes since she spoke until the stunning silence hit his ears for the first time. Jack leaned in to her, pressing their bodies a bit closer together. His lips parted a tad to speak, but no words came. Instead, he lifted one hand from her wrists and tenderly stroked her tear-stained cheek. Kimiko made a small whimpering noise and met his eyes, still not bothering to try and escape.

Jack leaned closer to her, his eyes never leaving hers as he gently smoothed her hair out of her face. Their faces were only inches apart, and a subtle light lit in his eyes. His hand rested upon her cheek, and Jack knew he couldn't resist any more. His heart pounded faster as he gazed into her eyes.

"You're beautiful."

And then, he kissed her. Jack crashed his lips to hers as he moved the hand on her cheek back to her wrist, gently holding her back down. His mouth enveloped hers in a persistent kiss, becoming deeper and deeper with each passing moment.

And to both of their surprises, Kimiko was kissing back. Her head bent upwards towards his as she pressed back against Jack, their lips never lifting from each others.

Jack couldn't restrain himself as his tongue moved over her soft lips, not stopping until they finally parted in compliance. Within seconds, his tongue was exploring every corner of her mouth, and he was pressing her body back into the soft fabric of the futon. He closed his eyes and grabbed both of her wrists in one hand, not even realizing that he might be overpowering her.

And as their tongues intertwined, Jack suddenly realized what he was doing. His eyes flew open but he couldn't stop himself. Abruptly, Jack could feel his legs wrapped around hers as they pressed together. The kiss was becoming intense, and he could feel his brain stop working and his male instincts take over. Before he could stop himself, Jack had moved one of his hands from her wrists to her torso, slowly caressing the small curves of her body.

_Stop it Jack. Control yourself!_

He knew he had to end it. Jack reluctantly pried himself away from her, going back into the position in which he was leaning over her. Kimiko let out a small intake of breath, her body falling back against the futon. She looked half repulsed, like she couldn't believe what she had done, but the other half was somewhat of wonder. Jack slowly met her gaze, and as blue met red, a sudden warmth that had never been there before passed between them.

Jack felt energy run through him once more as he leaned down, kissing her on the lips one last time. His hand slid down her side to just above her hip. There, he pushed gently deep into her skin.

Kimiko gasped and fell away from him, breathing slightly heavier with a glassy look in her eyes. The only sound in the room for a moment was her heavy breathing. Then, she caught Jack's eye and gave him a slightly scared look. Her eyes closed slowly and her body fell limp into his bed, completely unconscious. Jack didn't move as he stared at her lifeless form, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.


	11. Betrayal

**Chapter 10- Betrayal**

Jack was gone when Kimiko woke up. She wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing: after all, she _had_ tried to kill him last night.

Still sprawled into his messy futon, Kimiko could do nothing but lay and stare at the ceiling, her heart pounding. An unexplained energy coursed through her veins, making her heart pound loudly in her chest, and adrenaline distorting her thoughts.

_What the hell am I going to do?_

She forced herself to sit up and curled her legs to her chest, holding herself together by her knees. Jack could be anywhere right now, perhaps building something that would keep her immobile for the rest of her days….or maybe, even contacting Chase. She shuddered at that thought, and hastily looked around his room for a way outside that wasn't through his lab. There was a skylight overhead, but the glass looked like it was several inches thick. Kimiko wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

_Just go out. You're going to have to face him sometime._

_I tried to_ kill_ him. God, what was I thinking? I'm not a murderer! I want to end all the killing, not take part in it!_

_That didn't stop you the night the Temple was raided._

She shivered at her thoughts and squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds. The only sound was her heavy breathing, and then, beyond that, she heard faint tremors of activity beyond the bedroom door. Another shiver coursed through her before she got to her feet.

_I might as well get this over with._

_

* * *

_

Jack couldn't sleep. His hands were slick with sweat, and his knees were trembling profusely. He figured having an unconscious assassin in his bed would do that to him, but he couldn't control his body.

He had no idea how to calm himself or his raging thoughts, so he came into his lab and began to work. After all, he had several weeks worth of repairs to do after his Xiaolin visitors destroyed his work, and he needed to get started. Chase would be calling in the next shipment of robots soon enough, and Jack had nothing to keep him satisfied.

He nervously glanced towards his bedroom door for the hundredth time that morning, then hastily looked away. Jack uttered a curse to himself and went for his toolset. The screwdriver he tried to pick up slipped out of his unsteady hands, and rolled underneath his desk. Muttering another curse, he ducked his head underneath, just as the door to his room opened.

Jack jumped and hit his head on the underside of his desk sharply, then fell out from underneath of it. He cursed and jumped to his feet, whirling around to see Kimiko hesitantly standing by his bedroom door with one hand on the handle.

They stared at each other for a moment, saying nothing. Kimiko's face was pale and peaked, while Jack's was red with embarrassment. She soon lowered her eyes to the floor, trying to avoid his gaze. She pulled the door shut behind her but made no move to come forward.

"Morning…" he said, rubbing his head and turning away so she wouldn't see the redness of his face.

"Good morning," she replied uncertainly. The awkward silence returned, but in a strange way, it was almost…pleasant. Jack couldn't feel any tension between them, just a hazy sense of understanding. His face grew hotter, and he hastily turned back to his tools before he made a fool of himself.

"A-about yesterday," she stammered from behind him. Jack flinched but didn't look at her.

"Don't…worry about it. I have to go upstairs for a minute." He hastily made for the door without turning to look at her, his heart pounding even louder in his chest. Before she had a chance to say anything else, Jack bounded up the steps, leaving Kimiko behind.

He immediately strode to the kitchen sink and splashed his face with icy water. It did nothing to calm his raging mind, though his trembling body was shocked into submission.

_What am I going to do?_

Yet, before he had a chance to think, there was a large crash from downstairs, and a suddenly cut-off shriek. He scrambled away from the kitchen, his eyes narrowed in confusion. _What the…_

He quickly strode back towards the stairs, but a small flash of light caught his attentions from outside. The lights turned red and began to blare, and Jack only had time to widen his eyes in panic before the light became blinding

With an earsplitting crash, the front door was thrown down in a cloud of smoke and debris. Jack coughed and stumbled backwards, struggling to understand what was happening as all of his senses were assaulted at once.

_What the hell is going on?_

The smoke finally began to clear, and Jack suddenly felt sick. His body clenched in panic and fear as he saw the intruders standing in the doorway.

_No…_

Two large men dressed as roman soldiers stepped forward through the debris, deadly swords belted at their waists as they stepped through. Their eyes fell upon Jack, and their lips curved into a smirk. Jack stumbled backwards, before his eyes darted to the lab steps.

"_NO!"_

He grabbed a fallen brick and ran forward at one of the soldiers, intending to fell him quickly. He kicked straight towards the soldier's gut, then threw the brick as hard as he could towards his face. The soldier merely sidestepped and the brick shattered on the wall behind him. Within seconds, Jack was forced away as well. His heart was racing faster than it had ever been before, and he desperately tried to keep his footing.

Just as he prepared to rush at them again, the two soldiers lunged at him. Jack panicked and quickly dodged their grasp, and then slid behind them. He drew back his fist and punched straight at the back of one of their necks, but his attack was quickly thrown off as the warrior turned. Taking a quick breath, he swung his leg out and knocked one of the warriors off balance, then drove his foot again upwards towards his gut. His foot painfully collided with a sheet of metal armor and Jack stumbled away, cursing under his breath.

Panic was building faster in Jack as he darted his eyes to the lab door, seeing the warrior's eyes follow his gaze as well.

_They know she's here._

Within a split second, the two men rushed for the door. Jack let out a strangled cry and quickly hurtled in front of them, prepared to fend them off at all costs. Somehow, he managed to reach the door before them, and threw himself inside. Jack forcefully yanked it closed and slammed a button on his watch. The door locked instantly, though the banging of the soldiers did not cease.

A bead of sweat ran down his face, but Jack didn't even hesitate before he hurled himself down the stairs. He felt freezing inside, and his mind was going numb from shock

_They found us…They found Kimiko! I have to get her out, I have to run, there's no other- _

He came to a sudden halt at the base of the steps, and Jack froze in fear. His eyes went wide in shock, and a wave of dizzy nausea ran through him.

Two warriors stood across from him in his lab, holding firmly onto Kimiko as she tried to wrestle free. They had forced her hand behind her back, while one of their arms was wrapped around her throat. There was a hand placed firmly across her mouth, and Jack could hear faint sounds of whimpering coming from her. Their eyes connected for a brief second, and Jack saw immense fear in her eyes.

Without warning, Jack suddenly felt himself be arrested from behind. He let out a snarl as the warriors from upstairs clamped onto his arms and forced him back. He tried to jerk free and get to Kimiko, but they were too strong.

"No!" he growled, trying to yank his body away from their tight grasp. "Get the hell off of me! _Kimiko_!" He didn't stop struggling as he kept trying to get to her, his movements frantic and filled with desperation. A familiar, haunting laugh echoed through his empty lab, and Jack felt his heart turn to ice.

"Well well well…What do we have here?" He turned his head quickly to see Katnappe stepping out of the shadows, a smug smirk on her face. His eyes narrowed in anger, and Jack began his struggles anew.

"Ashley!" he snarled at her. "What is the meaning of this?" The warriors yanked his arms painfully behind his back and held them there. He winced as he heard something crack, but Jack kept his eyes steady on her.

"Don't even try to lie, Jackie," she growled back, her eyes deepened in a glare. She walked between Kimiko and Jack, sneering at them both, before pausing before him. "I knew there was something wrong from the first time I came here...So many pieces of evidence pointed to you having that _scum_ but I didn't believe it. But all the pieces fit together…You had her all along. And you defied Chase! How could you?"

She raised her hand and slapped Jack forecully across the face, her sharpened nails digging into his skin. He didn't even wince as she left bloody scratches across his cheek, and he instead stared at her with pure malice. Then, she spat into his face. "You _traitor!_"

He grimaced and took the hit, jerking forward in his captors' arms. Katnappe stared at him for a long moment, slowly shaking her head.

"You traitor," she repeated softly, a slight hiss in her voice. She whirled around on her heels and sharply walked away from him, leaving Jack brisling in anger.

"We're moving out; bring the girl," she ordered forcefully, and the two warriors holding Kimiko nodded. They began to drag her behind them towards the stairs, and Kimiko could do nothing but helplessly stumble after them. Pure fear ran through her eyes, and she managed to twist her head away from their rough hands. She fought frantically and wrenched an arm out of their grasp, frantically looking for him.

"Jack!" she cried, reaching for him as the warriors struggled to contain her twisting form. _"JACK!"_

"_NO!"_ he shouted back, trying to wrestle his arms free. He looked desperately at her as her hand clawed at the air, and finally, Jack worked his own arm free. "Kimiko!"

In one short second, their fingertips managed to brush as the warriors struggled to keep them apart. Katnappe began to laugh at their pathetic struggles, a sadistic grin on her face.

"Why are you reaching for him, Kimiko? He…was the one who betrayed you."

Her fingers suddenly stopped short of his hand, and Jack saw confusion course through her gaze.

"Yes, _he_ was the one to tell us exactly where you've been hiding this past month…And thanks to you, Jackie boy, Chase no longer will have any threats to his throne."

Their eyes connected, and suddenly, Kimiko's eyes went cold. Jack's stomach sank as he desperately tried to reach her again, but she slowly lowered her arm. Kimiko stared icily at him, a look of betrayal etched across her face. He could see the immense hurt in her eyes, and Jack felt his own body go cold.

"No…Kimiko, _no_! She's lying!" There was something in his voice that made his words sound weak and hollow, and he frantically tried to reach her again.

Icy blue met red, and a look of pure hate passed to Jack. Katnappe nodded, and moments later, one of the warriors struck her head with the hilt of his sword. Then, her eyes closed with a look of despair, and her body went limp in the warrior's arms. Jack could only stare numbly at her unconscious form.

"No," Jack whispered, sinking to his knees. A sudden thought came to him, and he weakly pushed a button on his watch. The white cuffs dropped silently from her wrists to the floor.

The soldiers dragged her body upstairs, and Jack's mouth went dry as she disappeared from his lab. The corners of his vision blurred, and Jack realized he was crying. His body began to tremble as Katnappe stepped in front of him, her eyes unforgiving.

He dropped his head and the lab went silent, leaving Katnappe staring at him with cold, red-rimmed eyes.

* * *

Jack was brought in a few days later.

His face was paler than ever and slightly bruised, adding a sunken look to his cheeks. There were dark shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep, and his hair was messier than ever. Jack's clothes were slightly torn and covered in splashes of blood. Some was his, some wasn't. He was mentally exhausted, but relatively fortunate in which he hadn't been tortured too badly. _Yet._

_At least I'm alive._

Jack shuddered as he passed under a stone archway, the sign of the entrance to Chase's lair. Two soldiers were clamped onto his arms, along with a jungle cat in front of and behind him. His wrists had been tied behind his back. They were more dragging than leading him, but Jack didn't care. He didn't care about anything anymore.

He hung his head in shame as the group began to walk down a long, familiar stone corridor. Up until recently, Jack had walked it many times as a free man. His eyes wandered to a spot of blood on the walls, and he wondered if she had walked the same path as he did.

_Kimiko. _The thought of the girl made Jack feel lightheaded, and he tried to block her out of his head. For the past few days, he had been haunted by the look of pain and hate in her eyes as the warriors slowly led her away from him. Kimiko was probably dead by now, and it was all his fault.

_She's dead…Because of me._

_What have I done?_

_It's all my fault…God, how could I have been so stupid? I should have never bought her…Now we can never be free from Chase…She was our last hope._

The group came to a sudden stop, and Jack's thoughts were interrupted. He wearily looked up to see a large wooden door slowly swing open at their approach. A shiver ran through Jack before the warriors dragged him through.

He entered yet another familiar room that Jack had been in frequently in the past three years. Something told Jack that he should try to stand up straight and face what was coming, but he had no motivation.

_It's all my fault…_

Twenty jungle cats faced him, snarling as they circled a small raised platform against a wall with two stained glass windows. A large gold, throne-like chair was placed on the platform.

He despondently looked around, noticing that Katnappe was standing next to the platform. Her arms were crossed against her chest, and there was a look of malice on her face. Jack didn't bother to catch her eye.

His eyes wandered automatically to the platform instead, and Jack immediately felt a wave of cold run through him. Standing with his back to his audience, one hand placed on the armrest of the throne, was a man with long black hair and greenish armor. Jack kept his eyes on him as his guards forced him forward, and suddenly, he felt a surge of anger build within him.

_Chase…He'll pay…I'll make him pay for what he did._

Within seconds, the sea of jungle cats parted as the warriors dragged Jack to the edge of the platform. Suddenly, there was a sudden blow to his back from behind, and Jack crumbled to the floor in a kneeling position. The warrior placed a heavy boot on his back to prevent him from getting up, while the other twisted his fingers in his long hair and yanked his head up.

A snarl came from the back of Jack's throat as he glared upwards at the figure. He could practically feel anger radiating from him, and he jerked his body to try and get free.

Chase Young calmly turned around from his position and looked down at Jack with an expression of disgust. There was a murderous look in his eyes. Apparently Chase was as angry as he was.

They stared at each other for a few minutes in that way. Jack refused to move his gaze as he narrowed his eyes. He swallowed as a swell of anger threatened to break free from him, and instead kept his gaze steady.

To his surprise, it was Chase who broke the tension first.

"I'm at a loss for words," he hissed at Jack. Chase curled his hand into a fist and turned away, snapping his fingers. The two warriors painfully holding Jack down stepped away, and Jack ruefully got onto his feet.

"You of all people to betray me…" Chase said coldly, looking at him with scorn. "I expected it from a weak creature like Wuya or Katnappe…But not from you. You swore your loyalty to me!"

There was a sudden blow across his face, and Jack felt himself fly backwards a few feet. He scowled and regained his balance, blood dripping down his cheek as he faced Chase again.

"After all I've done for you…" Chase snarled, advancing one him once again. "I protected you and your family, I financed you, and I gave you a high status within my court! If it wasn't for me, you would be dead! And this is how you repay me?"

Chase raised a hand to slap Jack and brought it down forcefully towards him. But at the last second, Jack's hand shot up and blocked the hit. The cord that had bound his hands fell to the floor.

He was breathing slightly heavy as he stared at Chase, not budging his hand from the defensive position. Chase Young stared at him incredulously, his mouth open slightly in shock. The room went silent as Jack stood up his full height, almost as tall as Chase.

"You were the one causing the killing. If it wasn't for you…Millions of people would still be alive."

Chase threw down Jack's arm and punched him, sending him flying again. "Why did you do it?" he growled, advancing on Jack forcefully. "Why did you betray me? Why did you protect that filthy piece of trash?"

"Even a fool could see my loyalties would never lie with someone like you!" Jack shouted at him, scrambling to his feet amidst the jungle cats. "And she wasn't a piece of scum like you! I protected her so that she could kill you!"

Jack knew his words were going to get him killed, but he didn't care. He wanted only to avenge Kimiko. His eyes lit with fire as he stared at Chase, feeling suddenly bold and daring.

Chase's arm stopped midair as he stared back at Jack, a sudden realization coming to his mind.

"You love her…Don't you?"

Jack froze and stared at him, words caught in his throat. The room was silent, and Jack felt twenty pairs of eyes suddenly rotate to him.

A haughty smirk lit on Chase's lips as he took Jack's silence as a yes. There was still anger in his eyes as he snapped his fingers. Instantly, the two men who had brought Jack in fastened onto his arms again. Jack let out a small cry of resistance and tried to get free, but to no avail.

"Bring him to her cell…He might as well watch her suffer her last days."

Jack took a quick intake of breath and felt his heart stop beating momentarily.

_Kimiko…is alive?_

He suddenly felt Chase looking at him, and cold once again swept through him. There was a sadistic grin on his face that told him something was wrong. Jack cringed as the warriors began to lead him out, watching Chase intently.

"I'll deal with you later…" Chase Young growled. He could hear plain hate in his voice before Chase disappeared out of sight. Jack stumbled and tried to walk on his own between the warrior's fast pace. His heart was pounding faster, and hope lit within him.

Kimiko was alive.

* * *

Jack's eyes were wide and alert as he was dragged down twisting passages, looking every which way for some sign of Kimiko. After a few minutes, he knew he was in part of a dungeon by the multiple heavy wooden doors and the jungle cats strolling between the corridors. He shivered as the conditions worsened and the air brought on a noticeable chill.

Finally, he saw a group of warriors positioned around a door at the end of the wing, and his heart picked up a beat. His guards threw him into the hands of the warriors, grabbing both of his arms behind his back while one of them opened the cell door. He could see nothing but darkness for a moment as the guards pushed him roughly through the doorway.

Jack stumbled inside as the door closed forcefully behind him. Shivering, he realized the cell was cold and damp and barely had any light. A small, barred window at the top let in only a faint red glow from the outside.

He could hear heavy breathing from somewhere in the cell and he quickly looked around for Kimiko in the darkness. It took his eyes a few minutes to adjust to the darkness, but then he saw her.

She was crouched against a corner of the cell, her wrists chained and attached to the wall behind her. Her head was lying against her knees, and he could see only the barest of movement as her chest rose up and down. She was wearing a set of red warrior robes, much like the ones she had worn back at the Xiaolin temple. But they were stained and torn, and there was an overpowering smell of blood in the air. Jack looked down at the ground where she rested, and saw that she was sitting in a puddle of her own blood.

"Kimiko…" he said quietly, relief flooding him that she was still alive. Jack could almost feel tears brimming in his eyes as he slowly approached her. _She's alive!_

"Oh god, Kimiko, I-"

"Stay away from me." A voice filled with malice and hate filled the tiny cell as Kimiko raised her head, glowering at Jack with hatred. Jack stopped cold in his tracks, his eyes widening. He bent down in front of her, disbelief clearly written across his cheeks. He reached out to touch her, feeling cold again.

"Kimiko…I-"

A powerful blow caught him in the chest, and Jack crashed into the stone floor painfully. It took him a few minutes to recover: Kimiko had knocked the wind out of him.

There was a small shuffling noise as she retracted her foot back against her body. _"Don't touch me," _she hissed. He could hear pain in her voice now, as her shaky words reached him.

Jack's heart dropped as he stared at her frail form in the darkness. _She still thinks I turned her in…That it's my fault she's here._

"Kimiko," he said pleadingly, scooting towards her again on the slimy floor. "Kimiko, please, listen to me! I didn't deceive you! If I did, I wouldn't be here right now!"

"You're only here to hurt me more…I heard the guards talking outside."

Jack sighed exasperatedly, wanting to grab her shoulders and make her face him. He looked over her body, and realized that she was in terrible condition, even worse than the first day he had bought her. There was a desperate feeling inside of him as he stared at her pleadingly.

"Kimiko, damn it, listen to me! Why are you acting this way?"

There was silence.

"Kimiko…"

"You betrayed me!" she nearly shouted, jerking her head up to face him. There were tears in the corners of her eyes as she stared at him, anger spilling at her every move. "God, Jack! I spent three years on the run from Chase, watching my family and my friends die around me! I never could relax, or feel safe or anything! Even with Raimundo and Clay around, I was always afraid!"

The tears were freely falling now as she choked them back, her glare of abhorrence never lifting.

"But when I came to you…I felt safe. I thought you would protect me! I didn't feel like any moment Chase would slit my throat, or that his stupid cats would find me in the middle of the night! For the first time in three years, I felt safe, because I thought you would save me from all that!"

Jack was silent as he listened, unable to move his body. There was a small sob from Kimiko before she continued her voice shaky and filled with pain. Jack looked away as he listened, feeling a sinking feeling encase him.

"But then you had to go and reveal me to Chase…I thought you were on our side now, but it's clear where your loyalties have always been. I was wrong: you're just the same cowardly little git that I knew before."

Her words ended barely a whisper as she dropped her head, muffling her few tears with the thin fabric covering her body. Jack still didn't move as the cell went silent.

Suddenly, he heard a slow shudder from Kimiko as she contracted her body into a tighter ball. Moments later, the door to the cell opened as light flooded in. Two warriors stood in the doorway, their eyes focused on Kimiko.

"No," Jack growled, scrambling to his feet as they advanced. He stood in front of Kimiko and put his arms out, ready to fight them off from taking her. There was a kick from behind and Jack abruptly crashed to the floor, staring numbly at Kimiko.

The warriors undid the shackles binding her to the wall and dragged her upwards, then through the cell door. The heavy door closed, leaving Jack alone in the darkness. It was then that he remembered what Katnappe had told him what seemed like weeks earlier.

"_They'll be hell to pay once she's caught. And since Kimiko's the last one left, she'll pay for all of them."_

_

* * *

_

The screams started softly at first. Jack sat against the wall of the cell, holding his knees against his chest as he listened. They began with slight whimpers, echoing through the stone walls as Kimiko tried not to let her pain show. Soon, he could hear her begging someone to stop. Her pleas were cut short by another round of feminine shrieks.

Within an hour, he heard sobbing and a few full out, blood-curdling screams. Jack shuddered and hugged his knees tighter: it was as if he was being tortured instead of Kimiko. He couldn't escape the sounds of her pain as they grew louder and louder.

Another hour later, everything went silent. There were dark hollows under his eyes as Jack lifted his head. His heart was pounding faster than ever, and he listened carefully for any sign of activity. Jack desperately hoped that she was alright.

As if someone had heard his thoughts, the door to the cell opened. Jack scrambled to his feet as the same warriors advanced into the cell. They held a limp and bloody form between them. The figure stirred slightly, and Jack saw Kimiko wearily meet his eyes. The two warriors unceremoniously threw Kimiko at the floor. Jack dove forward and caught her before she collided with the stones.

Kimiko was unconscious before she hit his arms.

As soon as he saw her, Jack knew she was gravely injured. Blood was dripping freely from her back, and her clothes were almost shredded to pieces. It was a miracle that she was still alive, but Jack knew she wouldn't be dying any time soon. She was too strong for that.

Without a moment's hesitation, he set her down and ripped off his own shirt, exposing his skin to the cool air. Looking around, he noticed three pitchers of water and a few loaves of stale bread sitting in the corner opposite of her shackles.

"Bastards…" he cursed, before grabbing two of the pitchers and setting to work. Using his teeth, he tore his shirt into thin strips before lying Kimiko face down across his lap. Slipping off the top of her robe, he almost vomited at the sight. Her back was completely covered in blood and what looked like whip marks. Cursing Chase again, he dipped what was left of his shirt in the water and began to softly clean the blood off her body. There was no time for modesty now.

Kimiko tensed and made a whimpering sound as he cleaned the wounds, but she was still unconscious. He poured more of the water over her until all that was left was the angry red wounds. Jack grabbed the strips of his shirt and began to wrap them around her, as a makeshift bandage and to stop the bleeding. Once done, he pulled her tattered robes back over her shoulders, and stared down at her.

The cell went silent as he wrapped his arms around Kimiko, fully pulling the limp girl into his arms and against his chest. Her body felt cold, and for the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire, that was bad. Her head fell against his bare chest, and Jack felt a bit of relief as he felt warm whispers of air blowing against his skin.

He stayed like that for over two hours, constantly checking to make sure she was warm enough and that the bleeding didn't start up again. The cell grew darker with each passing moment, and he sighed as he stared at the wall.

"_Why did you tell her that?" Jack shouted, angrily pulling at his bindings in the police cell. Ashley stood feet away from the heavy metal bars, her arms crossed. "Why the hell would you make a lie like that? I didn't betray her!"_

"_You may not have betrayed her Jackie…" she hissed, an evil smirk on her face. "But we did find her because of you… You see, that day of the rebellion, when the other Xiaolin Dragons, or imposters at that, were discovered…We knew they would use the rebellion as a chance to look for Kimiko. After all, everyone knew that she had been sold somewhere. So we tracked them, and they led us to you. You bought her, they found her, we found you. Simple, really."_

"_Then why did you tell her I betrayed her?" he growled. Jack tugged at the chains holding him back, using every last ounce of strength he had._

"_To punish you," she said darkly. Jack stopped struggling as he noticed the malice on her face. "It's nice to know that at your darkest hour, you don't have even a single friend left at your side…Isn't it?" Ashley cackled as she turned away, walking out of his holding cell._

"_Damn it! Wait! Tell me what happened to her! Ashley!"_

A small noise interrupted Jack's thoughts, and he jumped as he realized Kimiko was coming to. Moaning softly, she stirred before opening her eyes, too weak to even move her body out of Jack's arms.

It took her a few moments to comprehend what had happened, but as the memories returned, she gasped and tried to jolt upright. Jack held on to her as she panicked, but eventually, he managed to push her back down into his arms. Her eyes were bright with fear, even as thick exhaustion and pain clouded her normally piercing gaze. Jack ignored her struggled and grabbed the pitcher along the wall, then gently held it to her lips.

"Jack," she whispered fearfully, trying to turn her head away. He let out a soft sigh of irritation, and pressed the pitcher more firmly against her.

"Shh, just drink this," he murmured. After a moment of hesitation, she slowly parted her cracked lips, and Jack tipped the water into her mouth until she could take no more. Kimiko pushed the pitcher away and tried to get up, but her body was shaking. After seeing how weak she was, her body slackened into Jack's arms, and he held her tightly. She shuddered once, and then pressed herself against him.

"I'm sorry," she said faintly. "I-I'm sorry for everything. I…believe you. I know you didn't…betray me…It was so cold…s-so cold…And my fire wouldn't come…I was scared…I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he responded softly. "It was….my fault. I thought I could hide you, and keep you safe. I should have moved you into hiding as soon as I bought you…But don't worry. I'm here now, and I'm going to get us out of here."

The words sounded hollow on his lips, and a faint smirk appeared on Kimiko's face. Her hand curled tightly around his wrist and she gave a squeeze, as if she was reassuring him.

"You saved me once, Jack…I don't think you can do it again. Not now."

Her eyes watered at the edges from the pain, and Jack flinched. He didn't speak again for a few minutes, and Kimiko slowly went limp in his arms. His own shoulders fell and he looked down dejectedly at her. Even Kimiko knew there was no way out…not this time.

He smoothed her tangled hair away from her face before laying her body against the ground. She didn't resist him, and Jack knew she had finally fallen asleep. With a sigh, he checked on her bandages one last time before laying down beside Kimiko, pulling her body close to keep her warm.

"I'm going to set things right," he murmured softly to her. Jack traced his fingers lightly over the contours of her face, lingering near the bruises along her cheekbones. Then, with a heavy sigh, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead.

"I…love you," he whispered gently. With his face downcast, Jack slowly lowered his head back down to the stone, and closed his eyes.

The tears pooling under Kimiko's eyes finally broke free, and she wearily opened them before the pain threatened to consume her. Slowly, Kimiko reached up and put a hand on Jack's face, and his eyes flew open. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, and a faint smile crossed her lips.

"Love you…too," she whispered, barely audible. A tremor ran through Jack's body, and he could do nothing but stare at her in wonder.

He finally reached out to cup her face in his hands, and pulled her forward to kiss her. He tasted blood on her lips, and as he released her, Kimiko's eyes finally slid shut.

The cell went silent, and Jack was left with nothing but the fast beating of his heart, and Kimiko's clammy hands intertwined with his.


	12. Death

**Chapter 11- Death**

She could hear them coming down the hall, their heavy footsteps echoing throughout every cell in the dungeon. Kimiko shivered and glanced over to Jack, who was sleeping peacefully against the wall. Kimiko rubbed her own arms to keep warm, and winced as pain struck her shoulder blades. Her whole body was stiff and covered in blood from the day before. Jack had done a good enough job in helping her and without him, Kimiko knew she probably wouldn't have lasted through the night. But her body was healing: already she could feel delicate scabs where the angry wounds had been the night before.

The warriors sent to get her were almost upon her cell, and Kimiko looked over to Jack. For a moment, she considered waking him, and then she sighed heavily. She heard a jingle of keys from outside the door, and she tried to prepare herself. She had long since learned that not fighting back when the warriors came meant less pain for the time being. She felt pitiful; Chase was already breaking her.

The door burst open, revealing two human warriors and a pack of jungle cats in the harsh light. Kimiko calmly raised her head and made no move to struggle as the human warriors forced her to her feet. As they led her, weakened and extremely unsteady, out the door, she glanced backwards at Jack. He had opened his eyes sleepily just in time to see her disappear from sight.

They were gone before he had a chance to even think. He scrambled to his feet after them, but the door was locked and immovable. Jack let out a string of curses and kicked the door as hard as he could, earning nothing for his efforts but an aching foot and a heavy conscious. He got onto his knees and peered out from the crack under the door, and miraculously, caught a glimpse of Kimiko turning a corner. She was being guarded tightly and was being dragged more than she was walking, but it looked like she was alright for the time being. With a heavy sigh, he slumped against the wall and put his hands to his head.

_Kimiko…Please be alright._

_

* * *

_

It was hours later when the door opened again, flooding the dark cell with light. Jack, slumped in a corner, groggily lifted his head, unaware that he'd even fallen asleep.

But as soon as he saw what was going on, he scrambled to his feet, looking desperately for the standing figure of Kimiko somewhere in the mass of warriors. A cat snarled and swiped a paw at him, and Jack stumbled backwards with fresh claw marks on his stomach. Two warriors entered the cell and dumped a body on the ground, then swiftly turned and exited. Jack rushed to the lifeless body of Kimiko to find that this time she was already unconscious. He pulled her across his lap and felt her pulse, along with a shallow breath.

Jack pulled off her robes to see that his makeshift bandages were soaked through with blood. There was a nasty looking slash across her collarbone, but besides that, Kimiko hadn't been hurt too badly. He looked down at her, wondering what he would use for bandages this time, when a small package by the door caught his eye. Gently lowering Kimiko to the ground, he quickly walked over and grabbed the cloth bundle. Inside were a roll of bandages, and a small loaf of bread. A scrap of paper fluttered to the floor, and Jack turned it over to find a small paw print in ink.

He let out a sigh of relief, and quickly got to work. He began to remove the old bandages, then washed the old wounds with water. Her body remained limp and her eyes stayed closed. Jack began to pray that it was just exhaustion that had knocked her out.

_It should have been me being tortured. Damn it, leave her alone. She doesn't deserve this..._

He continued to slowly clean the wounds, trying to ignore her body's reactions to his touch. Jack was being as gentle as he could, but it still wasn't enough. As soon as they were clean, Jack unrolled the bandages and began to tightly wrap them around her torso, looping a few over her shoulder to help the gash below her neck. These bandages were thicker and helped stop the blood faster than the thin cotton of his shirt had.

As he finished wrapping the last tight loop into place, Jack suddenly became aware of Kimiko's weary eyes watching him. She looked exhausted and lifeless again, but she was awake. Jack gently propped her up against the wall and she curled her legs in towards her chest, trying to suppress the pain that threatened to overtake her. Watching her carefully, Jack grabbed the bread and water, brought it over to her and then sat down on one side of her.

He gently lifted her chin to see tear streaks through the grime on her face. Without a word, he held the water up and she drank as much as she could. Her strength was slowly returning, and by the time she had recovered from her effort of drinking, she was able to take the bread herself.

"Everything hurts Jack," she whispered desolately, closing her eyes for a moment. The bout of pain passed and she let out a long, ragged sigh. Jack found he could not meet her eyes and looked away, feeling incredibly guilty.

"What did they do to you?" he asked at last, glancing up at Kimiko. She looked down at the ground despairingly and managed to shake her head. Jack understood and patiently waited for her to calm down, guilt and anger tearing through him.

It was several more minutes before she moved. Kimiko sighed heavily and raised her head, looking towards the door.

"It was psychological this time…" she said softly. "U-Usually…they just beat me and hurt me until I can't fight back and I pass out…But that doesn't stop them from continuing. The first day was the worst…I had no idea what was going to happen, and suddenly I was tied up and the cats were there and-" Kimiko stopped suddenly and shook her head vigorously, as if she were trying to shake the images from her head. Jack leaned over slowly and took her hand in his, and she gave him a weak smile.

"You don't have to say anything, it's okay," he said calmly, reaching for the water to give to her. Kimiko shook her head again and pushed it away.

"Today…They went inside my mind. I don't know how they did it…When I first came here, and when I was first captured, Chase did the same thing to me…He read my memories, and I could see them too…They did the same thing to me again, but some warrior did it…I couldn't move, and they just tore into my mind…But this time-" Kimiko stopped suddenly again and shuddered, moving her body closer to Jack and holding his hand tightly. Jack blinked in surprise at the strength of her grip: he didn't think any strength was left in her.

"…They could modify what I saw…They made me watch my friends dying over and over…Raimundo and Clay…My parents…Omi…" Her voice dropped into a whisper as the scenes began to play over in her head. Kimiko's eyes closed as the worst of them all began, and her mind was dragged down into darkness.

_Jack was being beaten to death, his eyes wide and desperate, screaming for her to help him in a high, sickly voice…And she stood and watched, unable to move even an inch towards him…His blood splattered the ground as he finally collapsed, his eyes lifeless and skin grey…_

"Kimiko!" Jack shouted at her, shaking her body a bit as he tried to get her to come back to reality. Kimiko gasped in pain and realization, opening her eyes and looking around wildly for Jack before burying her face against his chest.

"Don't leave me Jack," she whispered desperately. "Please, don't leave me again. Don't make me go back there."

"Kimiko, I'm here, don't worry. You're safe now." Jack closed his eyes and pulled his arms around her, trying to get her to calm down. "Please…Just sleep. I'll watch out and I'll fight the warriors if they try to take you again.

"I know you would," she whispered back, relaxing slightly in his arms. "I'm sorry…I'm so weak. I'll get stronger…I'll fight back and get us out of here…"

"Sleep first, you need to rest," he told her gently. "We'll build your strength up tomorrow. I slept all day…I'll watch over you now. The warriors won't come back for hours."

Her shoulders drooped, and Jack gently laid her dwn to the floor. She gave him a weak smile before she curled her body into a ball, and closed her eyes. Within a few minutes her exhaustion had overcome her again, and she slipped into a light sleep.

Jack sighed and lay down next to her, pulling their bodies closer again for warmth. His mind was consumed with thoughts of escape, but he couldn't see any way out. Unless he had Shen Gong Wu or the guards were careless, he wasn't getting out any time soon…And he needed to get Kimiko out before they killed her.

_I won't let her die…I'll fight Chase and kill him if it comes to that._

He lay awake for hours, listening to the soft breathing of Kimiko and the murmurs of the guards from outside their cell. Several times he thought he heard footsteps and got to his feet, prepared to fight off whatever guards had come to take her again. But no one disturbed them, and Kimiko slept through the night. Jack was beginning to feel weary himself, but he stayed awake and waited in the darkness.

* * *

Three days passed and the doors to their cells did not open, except to have their meager rations thrown in. Jack remained unsteady yet hopeful, anxious at the sudden peace but grateful for the lack of disturbances. Kimiko needed the rest badly, and it was a time for her to build up her strength again.

The first morning, Jack awoke to find their bodies pressed close together, warm even, despite the cold air. Jack had unknowingly fell asleep with his arm curled tight around her, as if he would never let Kimiko stray even an inch from his body. He blinked and sat up to find the source of the heat: a thin but durable blanket had been thrown over them. Jack immediately jumped to his feet, looking around for some sign of an intrusion into their cell, but there was nothing. He wrapped the blanket around Kimiko and moved over to the door to guard them.

As the day passed, Kimiko began to recover her strength rapidly, much like the day Jack had brought her home from the auction. She worked her way to standing, and when it was clear the warriors would not be coming for her, began to test her limits. Even in the direst of situations, Jack could see the fire behind her eyes.

At times, Kimiko would retreat to a corner to recover, pulling her legs up to her chest and remaining stiff and silent for almost an hour. She was angry and resentful of her weakness, of her need for Jack's help, and the fact that no matter what she did, her element would not surface. Kimiko had not used Fire since before she had been sold.

And now, it wouldn't come. She had already tried to bring her element to life, but the efforts left her with little energy and no results. Kimiko fell into small moods of depression of anger after her attempts and pushed Jack away whenever he came near.

They had both fallen into a surreal sense of time, where hours felt like days. Neither of them could tell how long it had been since the warriors had first taken Kimiko away. The days spent at Jack's house seemed far away and dreamlike: Kimiko was starting to wonder whether they had ever happened. And the rebellion...Kimiko decided that definitely had been a dream. If Raimundo and Clay were really still alive, they would be in this cell with her…Or they all would be free.

The second day brought more anxiety and more strength to them both. Kimiko's wounds were still sore and painful, but the bleeding had reduced drastically and they were healing slowly. Jack felt more confident at her recovery, but it was hard to tell whether her strength had actually resurfaced. Kimiko was talented at hiding her pain and pretending to stand strong, when in reality she was suffering. He often noticed her sink to the ground a little too quickly after moving for an extended period of time.

The second night came, and they both curled up under the blanket, conserving as much warmth as they could in the cold air. Kimiko and Jack took turns during the night watching the door while the other slept, although Jack made sure she was sleeping at least twice as much as he was. Kimiko needed her rest while she had the chance to do so. She had argued at first, but after her eyes had closed more than once during her watch due to her exhaustion, Jack took over and made her sleep.

Neither of them talked much during the days due to their fear of the guards overhearing them. They could hear the warriors laughing and conversing outside of the cell, but the two were afraid that if they made too much noise, the guards would investigate. So, they kept their voices low when they needed to speak, and spent most of the day remaining silent.

But during the night they would curl up next to each other and murmur in soft voices, often of how they would escape, or what they would do if they weren't locked in a cell. Kimiko couldn't help but think that if she wasn't here, she would be dead. She knew Jack was thinking the same thing, though he tried not to show it.

The hours passed slowly and anxiously on the third day as well. Kimiko was able to walk on her own by now, as well as deliver simple punches and kicks without overdoing her limits. Her back was still bloody and raw, but healing quickly and the pain was fading. She spent a good part of the day doing simple hand to hand combat with Jack, most of which left her feeling a bit breathless. But Kimiko pushed on, while Jack took every precaution he could not to hurt her.

Later that day, Kimiko tried again in vain to bring her element back. Jack had been feeling exhausted due to his double shifts the night before and rested for a bit while she tried to use fire. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep under the promise that Kimiko would wake him up in a few minutes.

But when he next opened his eyes, the cell was darker than usual: night had come. He winced and looked around, freezing when he saw the limp form of Kimiko unconscious in a corner of the cell. He scrambled to his feet and ran to her before flipping her body over to see her face. Her eyes flickered open after a few minutes and she sighed, oblivious to his panic.

"It won't come," she whispered, after Jack had made sure she wasn't hurt. For a couple of brief seconds, Jack thought the warriors had come back. But it was clear she had used too much energy trying to bring her element back. He sighed in exasperation and sat against the wall, bringing Kimiko back with him in his arms. She tensed for a moment before leaning against him and looking at her pale, trembling hands.

"I've tried so hard…And nothing works. I'm the Dragon of Fire, damn it! Why won't it come?"

"I don't know," Jack replied softly. "It'll come back, I promise…Just give it time."

"I don't have time!" she snapped, suddenly pulling away from Jack and suddenly becoming tense. She clutched her hands into fists on her bloody robes, glaring at them with all her might. "Jack, look at me! I'm weak, I'm defenseless, I can't light a candle to save my life, and I'm rotting away in this cell when I should be fighting Chase! The world is depending on me, and Chase has me reduced to nothing! I won't be able to fight back if I ever get near him! Chase is going to kill me soon, and if I don't have my element to fight back…I have nothing." Her voice dropped off into barely a whisper as Jack stared at her, stunned.

"Don't…say that. I haven't given up hope, and neither should you."

"I've already accepted my death, Jack. I knew I would die at the hands of Chase…I just didn't think it would because I was too weak to fight back."

"Damn it Kimiko, you're not weak. You're the strongest person I know, stop acting like this! Chase may want to kill you, but that doesn't mean you're just going to let him. _I_ won't let him for one matter. We're going to get out of here alive, we're going to kill Chase, and we're going to save the world! But we're both going to die if we don't try something! So snap out of it!"

He left a stunned silence between them as his last angry words faded back into quiet. Kimiko stared straight ahead and refused to meet his eyes, her jaw clenched as she glared daggers at the cell door. There was a slight pang of guilt in her eyes as Jack suddenly realized she was angry at herself, not him.

"I'm sorry," he said more softly, reaching out and putting his hand overtop of hers. "I shouldn't have yelled. I was just nervous, and I don't want you to die. Hearing you talk that way…scares me. I don't want to loose you."

Kimiko slowly relaxed and moved back to Jack, before throwing her arms around him. He pulled her as close as he could, and she leaned her head back against his chest.

"It scares me too," she whispered. "I don't want to die...I don't want to fight him! I'm afraid of Chase…I'm scared of what he's going to do to me…For so long I thought I'd be prepared to die…But I want to live so badly. Jack, I'm so young! I should be going to school and hanging out with my friends, not being tortured in a dungeon and dying! I don't want to have to face him!"

Jack ran his fingers through her hair and let out a heavy sigh, resting his head on hers. "No one wants to die Kimiko…Don't be scared…I'm here for you, and I won't let Chase kill you. He'll have to kill me first." He felt Kimiko's weight sag slightly in his arms as silence overcame them.

"Come on, try to get some sleep. Everything will be better in the morning."

She scoffed at his words and shook her head, even as her eyes were closing from exhaustion. Kimiko curled up alongside him without another word, and he pulled the blanket over them both. Jack listened to the silence, a pang of guilt in his stomach. What if he was just getting her hopes up?

* * *

When morning came, Jack awoke to a kick in his stomach and a growling warrior standing overtop of him. Startled, he groaned and opened his eyes before jumping to his feet. Jack looked around wildly for Kimiko, but she was already gone. He tried to run to the door, but the warrior that had woken him pushed him forcefully back. He collided with the stone wall and collapsed to the floor, holding his head in one hand. The warrior threw a folded piece of parchment at him before storming out, slamming and locking the cell door behind.

"Kimiko…" he whispered numbly. She had been expecting him to protect her, and already she was back into the hands of the enemy. Jack, half risen, sank back to the floor and let out a low moan. "Please…"

His eyes fell on the piece of paper and he slowly unfolded it, seeing a messy note written hastily in ink. A small paw print was at the bottom, and Jack immediately narrowed his eyes. _Omi?_

_Jack, _the letter read._ How strange it is to address you as a friend, rather than an enemy. I only have a few moments to write this before I am discovered, and I cannot risk this falling into the hands of Chase Young. Destroy this after you read it._

_There has been another minor rebellion only a few days ago, and thankfully, I have convinced Chase to focus on crushing it rather than killing Kimiko. I know he has plans to torture her for all my friends have done to stop him, but I do not know when or how he will begin. Please, you must help her. Kimiko may be the last hope for this world._

_I tell you this because Chase Young is growing impatient with me. He knows I would help her if I knew where she was, and so, I am being watched constantly. Many times he has threatened to do unspeakable acts to her, and I am afraid that he grows more convinced of himself every day. Although its hard to believe you are actually fond of her, after our history together, I hope you can do something to keep her safe. I am trying to delay Chase, but his mind has grown twisted with hatred for her, and I fear now for what he wants with her…It is much, much more than just simple torture._

_Kimiko may as well be the last hope for any of us. We heard about sightings of Raimundo and Clay on that day when you were both captured, but so far, all of our leads have turned up empty. They have simply disappeared…or perhaps, they never existed in the first place. As much as I want to believe that they are still alive somewhere, it is most probable that they did indeed perish when Kimiko was captured the first time. My heart is heavy with grief, but there is nothing we can do except try to keep Kimiko alive. Chase is estatic at both their deaths and Kimiko's capture, and he plans to kill her soon. I beg of you-_

The letter ended abruptly with a hasty paw print. Jack stared numbly at the parchment, feeling cold inside. If even Omi didn't think Raimundo and Clay were alive…he had no hope for the world.

Jack sighed heavily and tore the paper to shreds, which disappeared into the darkness grime of the floor. He put his head into his hands, feeling defeated and immensely guilty. Even Omi knew that Jack was her only hope…and right now, she was in the hands of the enemy.

As if to remind him, a sparse, high-pitched scream echoed through the empty dungeon. He felt sick, but he could only drop his head, and pray that she would return.

* * *

Kimiko gasped as she jerked back to consciousness, feeling a bout of pain shoot up her spine. Her wrists and ankles were shackled between two large posts, leaving her immobile and hanging several inches off the floor. She let her weight drop at the expense of the pain in her wrists, and a sob escaped from her body. There were tears in her eyes as she looked back up again, unsure of how long it had been since she passed out.

The warriors who had been torturing her were nowhere to be found. She was alone in the chamber, hanging defenselessly from her post. A light trickle of blood ran down her back and dropped to the floor, where she could see a small puddle forming.

Kimiko moaned and let her head drop forward. She had tried so hard to be brave and fight back, but now she was just back where she had started: broken and weak. Her tattered robes were sliced and hanging limply from her frame, totally cut through on one of her shoulders so that her bare skin and a bit of the bandages on her chest were visible. The bandages had somehow survived, and Kimiko was immensely grateful for the little bit of protection they provided.

She twitched her arms and legs, but when it was clear she would not be moving without help, let her body drop again. A door suddenly opened from behind her, and Kimiko snapped to attention as she tried to listen to the footsteps behind her. She heard the door slam shut, a key turn in the lock, and then an unusually light pair of footsteps began to tread towards her. Kimiko could not turn her head, but she suddenly felt cold and afraid at the person's presence. She winced as she heard an object be picked up and prepared herself for the next session of pain.

But it never came. Instead, there was a loud click and Kimiko dropped to the floor on all fours, free of the chains. She let out a cry of pain as she hit the hard ground, instantly holding her wrist against her chest. Kimiko squeezed her eyes shut and didn't move until she felt the same looming presence above her. A wave of nausea passed over her, and she looked over her shoulder with fear in her eyes at the dark figure standing inches behind her.

_Chase Young._

Terror caught hold of her and she scrambled to her feet, too afraid to even think about fighting him. Her movements felt awkward and slow as she tried to stumble away, tripping backwards over a block of wood and falling back to the floor. The first thing that scared her was his style of dress: Kimiko had never seen him without his armor, and here he was, wearing a loose and unbuttoned black shirt and black pants. He advanced on her maliciously, a glint of evil and something deeper that Kimiko could not recognize. It was that emotion that scared her the most: it was a mixture of a deeper evil, desperation, and urgency, overcome by a slight expression that made her go cold.

Lust.

There was a crack of light, and Kimiko felt something slam into her head as she was pushed up against a wall. Her head was spinning and there were more tears in her eyes as she painfully gasped for breath. Chase Young was suddenly in front of her, one hand transformed into a dragon claw and holding her against the wall. Kimiko couldn't get up; she felt her strength fading as fear clutched her every move. Her brain was screaming at her to fight, to move, and do something, but her body wouldn't listen. Everything was going too fast for her to follow.

She suddenly found herself staring terrified as Chase's head lowered to her level, a glare and the slightest smile on his face at the same time. The same dark emotion swirled within his eyes, and Kimiko found that she was slightly whimpering, too afraid to move an inch. Her heart beat faster and faster as he said something but she couldn't hear. The claw tightened, hurting her more as he drew her closer to his body.

His lips crashed forcefully onto hers; overtaking what little strength she had left with one swoop. Kimiko cried out in surprise and tried to push away as his other hand made its way along her body, almost groping her as she cried again. Chase was rough and powerful as he tried to work his way in deeper, while Kimiko sobbed beneath him, doing everything she could to turn her head and keep him away.

She didn't remember making contact with one of her feeble attempts, but abruptly she was back on the floor after a strong slap across her face. Kimiko held her cheek in one hand and tried to move backwards again, but Chase had followed her again with the same demonic look in his eye. For a split second, Kimiko wondered with terror if the true beast within him had taken hold instead of Chase Young himself.

He grabbed the front of her robes and hoisted Kimiko back to her feet as she choked and gasped for breath. There was a sickening tear as the thin fabric gave way, and Kimiko fell roughly against a wooden table. Chase had totally destroyed the top of her robes so that only the bandages around her torso remained. His eyes fell upon her bare form and he tore the robes the rest of the way from Kimiko's body, dropping the scraps of cloth on the floor. Kimiko let out a terrified sob and clutched her arms around her body as she tried to run. Her threadbare pants and the bandages were all that was left covering her, and she had enough sense to know that if she didn't act, her last protection would join her robes as well.

Chase pushed her violently down on the table and was on her in a minute, his eyes wild with the eyes of a demon and a snarl in the back of his throat. Kimiko let out a high-pitched shriek of terror and tried to curl her body into a ball. Instead, he shoved his tongue back into her mouth, nearly choking her again as his hands closed on her body. It was too fast, too much, all at once, and she was defenseless. As his strong hands wandered lower and sent her into a panic, Kimiko bit his tongue as hard as she could. He grunted and brought his hands back up, finding one of her flailing arms and pinning it to the table before turning on her other limbs as he pulled his loose shirt off. Kimiko was blinded by her tears as she curled her legs to her chest into the tightest ball she could manage, straining to find her strength or at least her voice…

_"STOP!"_ she shouted loudly at last, her voice echoing off every corner of the room. Kimiko's body shook as she held back a sob, putting her free hand up as if to stop Chase from advancing on her. _"NO! PLEASE!"_

Miraculously, he did. Chase Young stared at her as his eyes slowly returned to normal, looking down disgusted and full of hate at her. Kimiko shivered as he released her and stood up, leaving her to collapse into her sobs as she tried to pull herself together. She wrapped her arms protectively around her bandaged chest and tried to move away from him. A few minutes passed in silence between them, as Kimiko stared at him with frightened eyes.

Chase's eyes narrowed and he advanced on Kimiko once more, twisting his claw-like hands in her hair and yanking Kimiko to her feet. She cried out in pain and stumbled after him, trying to break free as he pulled her out the door.

* * *

Jack paced back and forth in the darkness of the cell, his hands behind his back as he stared nervously at the door. It had been almost eight hours since he last saw Kimiko, and now he feared the worst. He had listened to her screaming for almost two hours…And then, everything went silent. His hands were shaking as he ran a few fingers through his long, messy hair, praying that Kimiko was alright. Jack put his head in his hands, drawing a long breath to calm himself.

The door to their cell burst open, and Jack snapped to his feet, staring at horror at the tall figure in front of him. Chase Young stepped forward and glared at Jack before yanking his arm in front of him. There was a cry of pain from behind Chase, and Jack watched in horror as Kimiko stumbled into the cell, holding her hair just below where Chase had been dragging her. Chase looked them both up and down before throwing Kimiko at Jack. She fell sobbing into his arms as Chase turned around to leave.

_"You BASTARD!"_ Jack screamed at him, holding Kimiko against his body. _"What the fuck did you do to her? I'll kill you! Do you hear me, I'LL KILL YOU!"_

The door to their cell slammed shut, leaving Kimiko and Jack alone in the darkness. His chest was heaving with anger as he let out a snarl of frustration. Kimiko was sobbing freely now, her body was trembling with fear, and Jack knew Chase had done something to her.

"Kimiko," he said urgently, his voice full of worry as he sat down against the wall with her. Jack tried to move her head up to face him, but she covered her face with her hands and cried harder. "Kimiko, please! What did he do to you? Tell me!"

She could not be comforted, and Jack saw for the first time that she was only wearing the bandages and a pair of thin pants. He hadn't expected the fabric of the robe to hold up for much longer anyways, but her missing garments intensified his worry.

Jack could do nothing besides hold her gently as he tried to comfort her. Kimiko was shaking, her heart was pounding, and she couldn't stop crying. Kimiko was usually able to hold in her emotions, but now she couldn't: everything was just tearing loose.

"Kimiko…Please, what happened?"

"He tried-" she whispered, her voice broken. Kimiko looked away from Jack and wrapped her arms around her body. She couldn't stand to tell him as she closed her eyes, trying to stop the rest of the tears from coming. "He tried…he tried to r-rape-"

He had heard enough._ "I'll kill him,"_ Jack interrupted her, his voice a snarl. His voice was suddenly low and more dangerous than Kimiko had ever heard him speak. Jack's grip on Kimiko tightened almost painfully as a murderous expression came over his face. "I swear, I will hurt that man until he wishes he was never born…_I'LL KILL HIM!"_

"Jack, _NO!"_ Kimiko shouted at him, a cry breaking in her throat. "He'll kill you! Please!"

"I'm not going to let him get away with this!" he growled back at her. "He had no right to touch you at all! Damn it, if he even touched you one place where he shouldn't have…"

"Jack, I'm fine," she pleaded with him, looking back up at Jack with her eyes wide. "Please! He scared me half to death and he almost did it, but I'm fine!"

"Next time I see him, he's a dead man."

Kimiko escaped his arms and grabbed the newest pitcher of water before dragging it back to where Jack was sitting. She took a long sip before closing her eyes and passing it to Jack. She was a lot calmer than when she had arrived, but her mind was still full of images. She could still see Chase advancing on her with that look in his eyes, feeling her body forced beneath, feeling the weakness of her limbs and knowing that he would have continued…Kimiko shuddered against Jack, and he wrapped the blanket tighter around her.

"Get some sleep," he said softly to her, taking one of her hands in his. His body was still tense with anger, but he didn't want to upset her any longer. He lay down next to Kimiko and put an arm around her waist. She turned her body so that they were looking into each other's eyes, and Jack let out a terse sigh.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Jack, I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for getting you into all of this, and for being so difficult. I'm sorry for being so weak…And I'm sorry for what's going to happen." Kimiko closed her eyes as a last tear ran down her cheek. "I'm sorry for leaving you."

"Don't be," he whispered back. "I love you, and that's all that matters."

* * *

As the first lights of the red dawn came, Kimiko and Jack clung to each other, almost afraid to let go. Both of them had been crying, though they tried not to show it.

They both knew what was going to happen later in the day.

Kimiko was surprisingly calm, though her eyes were filled with tears that never quite spilled over. Her heart pounded at every sound they heard from outside. She was waiting for the warriors who were going to come take her away, although today she knew it would not be another session of torture. Somewhere in the night, they both realized what would happen after Chase had tried what he did. There was no way around it.

Jack felt numb and slow, his mouth dry as he listened to the guards outside. He was prepared to fight to the death to protect her, but he could feel his old cowardice slowly taking over his body. He knew he would not be able to stop it from happening. Jack clung closer to Kimiko, who had been dead silent since the night before.

And then, they could hear the warriors coming. Jack felt Kimiko stiffen besides him and he held her tighter. They looked into each other's eyes one last time. And then, the door to the cell swung open.

There were more warriors than usual waiting outside, and five of them entered the dark cell. Jack tilted her chin towards him and kissed her with every last emotion he had left in his body ,as Kimiko responded with the same passion. The kiss broke abruptly as three of the warriors grabbed Kimiko's arms and pulled her to her feet. The other two held onto Jack, restraining him from moving at all.

Kimiko's hands were bound behind her with shackles as she stood calmly, her head raised high. Jack could do nothing put watch, and he didn't make a sound as she was pushed out of the cell. He stared after her long after all the warriors had left, and he was alone in the cell, where Kimiko would never be returning.

Jack wept bitterly.

* * *

An hour later, the warriors came back for him. He was roughly bound in rope and dragged out of the cell by two warriors who obviously were in a hurry. Jack came with them almost obediently: his strength had left with Kimiko.

They led him through the stone dungeon and many corridors, where other jungle cats and human soldiers followed in the same direction. Jack kept his head down as he stared at the stone ground, avoiding the eyes of the watchful jungle cats. At last they reached a large, open door where all the other warriors were going through. His own keepers prodded Jack through as well, and Jack lifted his head to see where they were now.

It was a large open room, big enough to hold a few thousand people. Jack knew it was where Chase often sparred. There were steps leading down all around the room to a large, smooth marble pit in the center, almost like a coliseum. Many warriors, jungle cats, Heylin villains, and all others who supported Chase Young were beginning to congregate on these steps. Jack narrowed his eyes in confusion as his guards dragged him forwards and down. Jack caught a glance of Katnappe looking smug as she flirted with a few soldiers among the crowds. He rolled his eyes and stumbled forward.

The warriors stopped on the last set of stairs before the smooth expanse of the pit began. Jack looked around and narrowed his eyes at the sight of Chase, dressed in full armor, at the opposite end. Something big was about to happen, otherwise all these people wouldn't be here.

A great cheer of the crowd drowned out his thoughts, and Jack looked up to see Chase walking towards the center, his arms raised and the familiar smirk on his face. Jack leaned forward, only to have the warriors grab his arms and force him back.

"My fellow warriors, servants, and prisoners," Chase called, looking around the mass of people with an evil grin on his face. He laughed, and shivers ran up Jack's spine as Chase lowered his arms. "For three years I have conquered and triumphed over the world, and now, I am your lord and master! Darkness rules this planet, and shall for thousands of years!"

There was another large cheer as Jack looked on, disgusted. His hands clenched into fists, and the warriors tightened their grip on him.

"But," Chase continued, once the shouting had died down, "my empire has been threatened by three weak warriors, those who call themselves the Xiaolin Dragons. Three children, who thought they could defeat me! But I have triumphed at last over them, after years of searching and fighting against them! Two are dead, and only one remains."

Jack felt his heart go cold, and all the color drained from his face. Chase Young suddenly met his eye, and a sadistic smile crept over the warrior's face.

"And now, thanks to a traitor in our midst, the third Dragon has been captured. She is here, weakened and abandoned by her companions! With her death, the world shall belong entirely to darkness! No others possess the strength to defeat me! Now, I give you the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire!"

The people rose up in Cheer again as Jack looked around wildly, his heart beating faster. _She's alive…Kimiko is still alive!_ He had been focusing so much on looking for her in the crowd, that he didn't notice a small figure kneeling in the center, her head pointed down. Jack's heart stopped as he saw her, too far away to touch or hear her.

"KIMIKO!" he screamed, fighting back against the roar of the warriors. "Kimiko! _KIMIKO!"_ The warriors noticed his shouting as Jack tried to wrestle free and run across the floor. With a few shouts of their own, a few more warriors latched on to Jack as they pulled a strip of cloth between his teeth. Jack thrashed and tried to break free even more as his calls were muffled.

And in the center of the floor, Kimiko shivered as she looked up at the warriors surrounding her on all sides. Chase was just a few feet away as he picked up a sword, running his hand down the blade before laughing again. Kimiko looked away again and tried to stay calm. Chase was expecting to kill her, but she didn't want to go down without a fight.

In the minutes after she had been separated from Jack, the warriors led her to a bath chamber, where she had been allowed to wash and comb her hair for the first time in almost two weeks. They had given her a new pair of robes that she was wearing now, and that was it. She was led to the room that was to be her place of death.

Abruptly, she felt the presence of Chase Young closer than ever, and looked up to see him standing over her. Kimiko spat at him as he growled and pointed the sword directly at her.

"Get up," he snarled. "Now we fight." Kimiko hesitated for a second and then slowly rose, feeling her stiff body groan in protest. She was given no weapon, and Kimiko knew she had to use all of her wits to stay alive.

The crowd taunted and screamed, slightly numbing her hearing as she faced Chase. She could hear only silence around her and see only the man standing in front of her. Kimiko prayed for strength and went into a fighting stance. Chase laughed, and lunged straight towards her.

Kimiko dropped out of the way of the sword and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Chase was everywhere, his sword always just barely missing her. Kimiko stumbled and fell to the floor to miss one of his heavy swings. She rolled out of the way as the sword came down just where she had been and rolled back as the sword landed on her other side. Kimiko jumped to a squatting position and struck her leg out, hitting Chase in the back of the knees. He stumbled forward and away from her, and Kimiko collapsed for a second, gasping for breath.

Within a second he was back on her, and Kimiko was dodging everything she could. Her legs felt wobbly and weak as she missed the sharpened blade again. There was a sudden sting in her shoulder and she dropped to the ground, her hand full of blood as she clutched her limb. Chase narrowed his eyes and walked forwards towards her, circling Kimiko like his prey.

"You were originally the chosen one," he said suddenly, his voice low enough so that only she could hear it. Kimiko bit her lip from the pain, wondering if he had really said that or if she was hallucinating. "When I first returned…You were the first Dragon I had chosen to be by my side."

Kimiko tried to get to her feet and reluctantly removed her bloody hand from her shoulder. Her pace was pale and confused as she stared at him, her heart pounding faster.

"You were the strongest of all four of the Dragons...I knew fire would be the best element to fuel my quest and there you were…" Chase's face darkened dramatically and he swung the sword in front of him. "But you were too strong…It would have been too much of a challenge to bring you to the dark side. And there was Omi, leading in behind you, who was naïve and weak. So I took him instead."

Chase charged at her and Kimiko rolled out of the way, feeling much weaker than before.

Jack was screaming through his gag as loud as he could, jerking his body away from the warriors as he tried to get down and fight with her. Kimiko was weakening by the second: he could see it in the slowness of her dodges and lack of offense. She wouldn't last for much longer if he didn't help her: compared to Chase Young, Kimiko was no match.

He was suddenly above her, a wild look on his face as he brought the sword down. Kimiko didn't have time to move, and she hastily brought her hands over her head.

Miraculously, a dome of fire crackled to life above her, stopping his swing just enough to get out of the way. Kimiko didn't have time to even register that she had brought back her element before the sword caught her on the thigh. The sharp blade cut through her pants, making a shallow cut on her skin.

Chase laughed from behind her, remaining untouched and barely breathing hard while Kimiko struggled to move. Her breath was coming in ragged spurts as she shakily dodged again, leaving a splash of blood against the floor.

She tried to summon her element, but all that came forth was a weak flame that definitely would not protect her. The effort exhausted her even more, and so she extinguished her element. Kimiko could feel her body screaming in protest and knew her legs would give out soon. As she paused to catch her breath and watch Chase, Chase suddenly appeared behind her, when he had been steps away moments before.

"And now it's a shame I shall have to kill you," he said in the same low voice. Kimiko let out a cry and dodged behind him, sending a punch into his neck. Chase disappeared seconds before her punch would have made contact and she dropped hard to the floor on her hands and knees. Her body was shaking as Kimiko wearily looked up, seeing Chase advance on her from the front. "I cannot spare you as long as you pose a threat to my empire."

Kimiko closed her eyes as a kick came to her chest. She was sent flying backwards, rolling across the floor and banging her already bruised and bloody body until she collided with a stone wall. Kimiko did not stir as the crowd went wild, cheering and applauding her coming defeat.

And Jack watched in horror as Chase Young walked towards her, sword in hand. "No…" Jack whispered, pausing momentarily in his captor's grip. "NO! _KIMIKO!"_ He was shouting louder than everyone around him, although his words were muffled by the gag. Jack tried to break free but he couldn't as he watched in terror. Kimiko moved slightly and then slowly raised her body into a kneeling position. He could see her eyes close as she whispered something to herself, making no effort to move again. Her body was shaking as Kimiko was on the verge of unconsciousness. It was already a miracle that she had lasted through the final kick, but Chase's attack left her broken and too weak again to move.

Chase stood over her and raised the sword above his head, his eyes shining with triumph. "It ends now!" he shouted, and with a sickening bout of laughter, brought the sword down as hard as he could on the crouching girl in front of him. Jack was screaming and crying louder than he ever had before, pain tearing his heart out as he saw Kimiko bow her head and wait for the blow.

And then with a great roar, the floor began to shake violently. Jack shouted as the warriors around him began to fall, and the room broke out into chaos. Stones were falling from the ceiling around the battleground, sending huge tremors through the stone steps and knocking over the gathered warriors. A piercing cry filled the room as wind the strength of a hurricane blinded his eyes, whirling so quickly around the spot where Kimiko was that Jack could only see a blur. He heard the shriek of Chase Young before the wind became so powerful that he could hear nothing besides it. The warriors holding onto him had fallen away as Jack covered his eyes, screaming for Kimiko as loudly as he could.

Abruptly, everything stopped. The wind stopped immediately as Jack reopened his eyes, looking around wildly. The room was totally destroyed: there were huge cracks in the stone floor and steps, along with massive chunks of stone that had fallen and cracked. Jack stumbled over the warriors and tripped down the steps as he broke free from his bewildered captors. He looked around, searching frantically for some sign of Kimiko.

And from the other side, Chase screamed a cry of frustration and anguish. Chase Young threw down the sword with a large clatter, snarling as he transformed into his Dragon side. Jack sank to his knees.

Kimiko was gone.


	13. Reunion

**Chapter 12- Reunion**

_Wind, faster than anything she had ever known encompassed Kimiko, and she weakly looked up. She could feel tears running down her cheeks as her vision began to blacken. Kimiko fell forward against the stone as her strength left her, numbly staring ahead at the wind. It was if she was in the exact eye of the storm. Then, there was a bright flash of light, and Kimiko had a glance of a dark figure reaching towards her before the light overcame her vision._

_And then, nothing. The white light surrounded her, and Kimiko realized she couldn't move. Her body was numb and paralyzed, yet she could still feel blood slowly leaking from her wounds. Her body felt strangely light and disconnected, and Kimiko knew what had happened._

So…this is death.

_She closed her eyes again, and waited. Her heart felt heavy, not because she had died, but because she had failed. Her pitiful body had collapsed, and she didn't even get a chance to fight back._

Will she be all right?

I can't say for sure...She should have been dead…All we can do now is wait.

Damn it, I knew we should have gone after her earlier! She might…she might have been-

Raimundo, it's okay. She's here now…don't worry. She's stronger than you think…I'm sure she'll pull through.

I'll kill them…I'll kill whoever did this…

_Kimiko lifted her head wearily as she heard the familiar voices around her, but could do nothing to look for them. Kimiko blinked and tried to sit up, but her body was still paralyzed._

_"Raimundo?" she called frantically, her eyes darting from side to side. "Clay?"_

_And then, the light began to fade, and Kimiko was falling back into the darkness.

* * *

_

Kimiko shifted uncomfortably as pain greater than anything she had ever imagined began to fill her body. Her limbs were stiff and unmovable, and she grimaced. She could feel nothing but pain, especially in her head, where she could barely think. Her mouth was dry, and her lips were cracked. Kimiko tried to move them, but her voice did not come. Instead, a weak gasp filled her ragged breath, and Kimiko found it hurt even to breathe.

"Kimiko?" a sudden voice asked urgently over her. She saw shadows move beyond her closed eyes, and suddenly there were rough hands on her shoulders. Kimiko let out another short gasp of pain, and the weight was immediately lifted.

"Easy, partner. You're going to hurt her. Kimiko? Lil' lady, can you hear us?"

"Kimiko!" the first person shouted again, his voice cracking slightly. "Please! Wake up!"

Kimiko felt a tear trickle from the corners of her eyes, and suddenly she knew she was crying. Her eyes opened slowly to see two blurred figures kneeling over her.

"Raimundo…" she whispered weakly, the tears harder now. "C-Clay…" She weakly lifted her arm, trying to ignore the intense pain, and shakily reached towards them.

"Oh, god Kim," Raimundo answered softly, gently reaching for her hand and placing it against his cheek. Kimiko felt something wet, and knew he was crying as well. "God Kim, we thought we lost you!" She slowly shifted her gaze to Clay, who was wiping his eyes with his hand, and smiled weakly.

Kimiko struggled to sit up after a bout of pain and reached for both of them, drawing the two males into a weak embrace. "They told me you were dead!" she sobbed, holding them as close as she dared. Clay and Raimundo's arms wrapped around her and held her close. Kimiko was almost afraid to let them go.

Yet, the boys helped her lay back down after a minute, and Kimiko grimaced from the pain in her body. Every move she took filled her with sharp, shooting pains. Kimiko had never felt so weak, yet so grateful for pain, in her life.

"We've had a few narrow escapes, but we're alive and kickin'," Clay said, wiping his eyes again. He gently pulled something soft under her head and sat back as Raimundo reached for some objects off to the side of Kimiko. Within moments, a cup of water was pressed against her lips. He helped her take a few short sips before Kimiko fell back into her bed, weakened from the effort.

Stifling a moan, she realized for the first time that almost all of her body was wrapped in bandages, and she was lying on a soft but musty futon. Kimiko blinked and peered around at her surroundings. It was a room that looked vaguely familiar, but it was so run down that she knew it could be anywhere.

Clay looked at her and smiled before pulling the brim of his hat lower over his face. "Kimiko, do you know where we are?"

It took a bit of effort as she looked around the blurry room. Then, after a few moments, the room registered in her mind and her eyes widened.

"The Xiaolin Temple? H-how? I thought Chase totally destroyed it!"

"Most of the buildings are in ruins, but the Temple hasn't been touched since the night Chase Young came…and no one's been here at all for the past few months. We've been living here for a month now, and we haven't seen a single warrior. It's totally abandoned."

"Oh…" She went silent for a moment and continued to look around, noticing that Raimundo kept his anxious eyes on her the entire time.

"Kim, we're so sorry," Raimundo burst out, reaching to grab her hand. He looked slightly guilty, and Kimiko winced at his expression. "We should have protected you better…it's all our fault that that this happened…we just couldn't stop the warriors…and I thought you might be able to handle them, and-"

"Stop," she whispered firmly, though she felt faint again. Kimiko closed her eyes for a moment, and Raimundo's grip tightened on her hand. "We were all weak…it's…no one's fault. Just tell me…what happened…Y-You're supposed to be dead…I-I'm supposed to be dead! Chase…He…he was going to kill me!"

"Ever since we got separated, me an' Raimundo have been tryin' to track down any information we could on you," Clay said gently. "Once we heard Chase got you, well, we did everything we could to get to you, lil' lady," Clay said softly. He sat back and stared off at the window of the room, where a pale reddish light was illuminating his face. "It was hard, an' we almost got caught a whole bunch…But everythin' we did was all in hopes of gettin' back to you."

"And, we managed to score pretty good, too." Raimundo smiled sheepishly, and within a second, an array of odd objects was sitting by her head. Kimiko's eyes widened, and she reached out for a small, black ring.

"How did you…" she whispered softly, unable to finish as she turned it over in her palms

"Me an' Raimundo had a little fun," Clay said, shrugging. "When we finally tracked you down, we invaded Chase's place, stole what Wu we could, and grabbed you in the nick of time."

"Chase keeps all of the Shen Gong Wu in different places…the more important ones are more heavily guarded, so we couldn't get to them," Raimundo said, waving his hand over the pile. "But, we still managed to get the Ring of the Nine Dragons, Wings of Tenabi, Mantis Flip Coin and the Fist of Tebigong…It was hard though. Even in disguise, we got spotted almost immediately, and almost got captured more than once. Chase's warriors were tougher than we thought."

She put down the ring and picked up the Wings of Tenabi, wordlessly taking in their beauty. Never, in her wildest dreams, did she ever think she would have a Shen Gong Wu in her hands again. A tremor of pain ran down her arms, and she gently placed the Wu back down with a wince.

"Chase had already started fighting with you when we finally learned what was going on," Raimundo said softly. "We were so scared that we wouldn't make it in time, and it was hell trying to get through all the warriors after they had spotted us…I wish we could have gotten there sooner…Otherwise…you wouldn't be like this. Kim-"

"You saved my life," she whispered. "I don't care…that's all that matters." She was struggling to stay awake now, but Kimiko refused to fall asleep until she had heard everything that had happened during their separation. She winced and looked up at their concerned expressions, and sighed. "Tell me…what…happened…after we got…separated?"

Clay grabbed his hat, which Kimiko noticed, looked a bit more beaten up than she remembered, and crouched down next to her. "Well, the warriors that got you came to us first and knocked us around a bit…They thought we were dead, so they left us alone, n' went after you…But we hightailed outta there faster than a cat in a swimmin' pool, and tried to look for you…But they'd already gotten to ya first."

Raimundo looked away, a grim look on his face and crossed his arms. "So we hiked back into the nearest town, went into disguise, and tried to get some information on what had happened, since Chase wouldn't waste anytime in announcing your capture. Well, we found tons of wanted posters of you, and eventually found out that…well, you'd been sold." His voice dropped to a whisper at the end, and Kimiko closed her eyes with a sigh of defeat. Through her aching mind, she could still remember that day clearly.

"Kimiko…"

"Don't…say anything," she interrupted wearily, feeling slightly ashamed. Kimiko could feel her cheeks grow hot, and she closed her eyes. Her head felt heavy again and she tried to listen the best she could. "I don't want to hear it. Just keep going."

Clay and Raimundo exchanged glances before Clay picked up again. "It took us a few weeks to track down any information on where you went…but we got there in the end. Raimundo n' I didn't know where you were exactly though, so we traveled here and there, and formed a few alliances with the rebellious groups and such. And once we found out where you were lil' lady, well, we started a rebellion."

Raimundo looked away again, this time with a stormy expression on his face. "I can't believe it was Jack Spicer of people who bought you…That bastard…I swear, if I ever see him again, he's gonna get it…I can't believe that coward even had the guts to buy you…If he touched you at all…" He trailed off as he curled his hand into a fist, glaring daggers at the wall across from him.

"Mmm," Kimiko murmured, flickering her eyes as she struggled to open them. The figures of Raimundo and Clay were blurring above her, and she closed her eyes again to keep herself from getting dizzy.

Rai shook his head and propped his chin on his hand. "But…the rebellion was pretty wicked though. I never knew there were so many people left who were willing to fight Chase. Kim, you should have been there…it was awesome. We had it spread almost all across China, and Chase's warriors had no idea what to do, there were so many people fighting, and we were at the center of it all…it was going so well! But then we were spotted when we were trying to get to you, and well, it all went down hill from there."

He sighed and looked back at her with the same guilty look in his eyes. By now, Kimiko was only half listening as she struggled through the pain and the heaviness in her head. "We found Jack's house, and tore it apart looking for you, but we couldn't get to you. I knew you were there, I swore I heard you! But we didn't have enough time; the warriors almost caught us, and we had to leave without you..."

"I remember," Kimiko whispered, struggling to make words. "I was there! God, I was trying to get to you, but he was holding me back…and you couldn't get through, and-"

"_I'm…Sorry."_

"_You bastard," she muttered darkly. Kimiko regained hold of herself as she got to her feet. Her body was now shaking with rage, eyes narrowed and full of anger. "You BASTARD!"_

The pain in her head was worse than ever, and Kimiko jerked back to consciousness, gasping for breath. She had only passed out for a moment, but now her heart was pounding in her chest. Kimiko could hardly think now, and she fell back against the futon with her eyes open and scared.

"Jack!" she whispered frantically, twisting on the futon as she struggled to sit up. _"JACK!"_ Kimiko looked around wildly, tears in her eyes. Clay and Raimundo had both jumped forward at her sudden outburst, and she tried to fight them off of her as they pushed her back down to the futon.

_How could I have forgotten him? Oh, god! He might be dead by now! Chase could have killed him!_

"Kimiko!" Raimundo shouted at her, trying not to hurt her as she tried to sit back up again. He pressed his hands down on her shoulders as her hands curled around his wrists, trying to force him off of her.

"Where's Jack?" she cried frantically, kicking Clay in the stomach.

"That _git_?" Raimundo almost snarled, his voice cold and unpitying. "He's rotting in hell by Chase's side, probably crying about how he lost his precious slave."

"No..." she whispered, the tears falling freely now. Kimiko looked up at him in anguish. "You don't understand! Jack, h-he's good now! He-"

"He handed you over to Chase, Kimiko," Clay interrupted. He was staring at her incredulously, a slight expression of disgust in his eyes. "You almost died because of him! He's a damn no good vermin, and-"

"_He saved my life_." She stared at them in agony, knowing she could never explain to the guys what had happened between them. "Please! I- I need him! I can't just leave him there! Jack protected me…I'd be d-dead without him! Chase is going to kill him if we don't do anything."

Clay and Raimundo stared at her in confusion, then at each other, unsure of what to say. Kimiko looked pleadingly up at them, struggling to sit up as Raimundo finally let her go.

"Kimiko…" Rai finally said rather darkly, still staring at her. "You want us to go back to the place where we nearly got ourselves killed and rescue the guy who has been our enemy for years, enslaved you, and handed you over to Chase Young to be killed?"

"Yes," she said firmly, struggling to find the right words. "Please, Raimundo, _please_! You don't understand! Jack isn't loyal to Chase anymore, and he'll kill him if we don't get him first. He…He might already be dead."

"There's no way in hell," Raimundo responded coldly.

"Rai-"

"Kimiko, listen to yourself! You're talking about _Jack Spicer!_ He's been one of our worst enemies since we joined the Temple, and he worships Chase! You're telling us to go rescue him, after he did god knows what to you and kept you as a slave! Think about that! Why should we go and risk our lives to bring him back? And if Chase really wants to kill him, I say let him. _He deserves to die._"

Kimiko stared up at him, her eyes suddenly cold and unmoving from his. Silence filled out between them, and none of the three moved as Raimundo's words took effect.

"Kimiko…" Clay began hesitantly, trying to ease the sudden strife.

"I'll go myself then," she interrupted, shifting her eyes from Raimundo to the pile of Shen Gong Wu. Kimiko grabbed the Wings of Tenabi, feeling more alone than she ever had before. Before either of the two could react, she snapped them open and looked towards the door. Her body hurt more than ever, and Kimiko thought she was about to pass out, but it didn't matter any more. She struggled to get onto her knees, but before she could activate the wings, Raimundo tore them out of her hands.

"Kim, wait!" he said urgently, Kimiko couldn't fight back, and she fell against the futon with a defeated look in her eyes.

"Please," she whispered, unable to say anymore. "Please!"

"You're too weak to do anything," Clay said from behind Raimundo, scratching his head. "There's no way you'll be able to move, let alone get Spicer outta there. But…it's a deathtrap for all of us. Goin' back to Chase's is…well…"

"Suicidal," Raimundo finished darkly.

"You've done it before," Kimiko whispered, still pleading. "Please, I know you can do it again."

"Kim, I just got you back! I don't want to loose you again!" Raimundo shouted at her suddenly. The room hushed as he ran his fingers through his hair angrily, and looked back down at her. "You're weak, you can't move, and you have serious injuries! It'll take a few days to even get near the place undiscovered, and we'll have to leave you all alone. What if warriors suddenly come here, and we're not around to protect you? What happens then, when you need help, or you get really sick? You're not in a condition for us to be leaving you!"

She fell silent and looked away, unable to respond. Kimiko couldn't speak, and her efforts had left her without energy. There was no way she could explain to Raimundo what Jack meant to her, let alone convince Rai to go back for him.

"Please," she whispered a final time. Her body slacked against the futon, and she looked desperately up at them. Raimundo and Clay glanced at each other, and Kimiko knew her pleas were working.

"We'll leave tomorrow morning," Raimundo said quietly. He looked towards Clay again, and the two nodded before Clay got up to walk outside. He disappeared, and Kimiko and Raimundo were left alone in the room.

"Thank you," she whispered, trying to reach for his hand. Kimiko was suddenly aware of him leaning overtop of her, brushing her limp hair back out of her eyes. Raimundo smiled down at her, leaning even closer. Kimiko suddenly felt intimidated, and a bit unsettled.

"I'm only doing this for you…I just want you to be happy," he murmured. Before she knew what was happening, he pressed his lips down on hers, and Kimiko's eyes widened. She broke off the kiss abruptly and felt color rushing to her cheeks. Raimundo's touch felt more urgent and forceful, and she looked up at him timidly.

Before she had been captured, she and Raimundo had been so close to each other…they loved each other.

So, why did she feel so uncertain now?

Before the silence could take hold, a sudden flurry of green scales bounced painfully onto her chest, and Kimiko gasped. She jerked upright and backwards in surprise, her eyes widening as Clay rejoined them.

"We have a little surprise…" he chuckled, grinning at her obvious astonishment. It took a few seconds for her blurry vision to focus, and Kimiko found herself staring down into the widened eyes of a mythical creature she thought she'd never see again.

"It's about time you woke up!" the dragon complained, crossing his arms and slithering off of her. "You had me worried sick! I'm never letting you three leave my sight again!"

"D-Dojo?" she whispered, still staring at him. "B-But…you disappeared! H-how-"

"He froze me!" he complained loudly, shaking his head. "Omi froze me! The night the Temple was raided, he cornered me before I could get out to you! The cueball froze me solid and shoved me under a statue in the garden! And if it wasn't for these two coming back, I'd probably still be freezing my a-"

"We're pretty sure Omi did it to protect you from Chase, Dojo," Rai sighed, pulling him off the futon. Kimiko watched them with tired, expressionless eyes, though a slight smile was on her face.

"Come on, partner," Clay said softly from behind him. "Kim's about to pass out…Let's let her sleep for a while…we can plan out our breakin' in for the moment."

Kimiko sighed in slight gratitude and watched them get to their feet. "Thank you…" she murmured. Her body was aching worse than ever.

"We'll be right here Kimi...We'll watch over you. Just sleep…and we'll help you when you have some energy back."

Kimiko closed her eyes, looking forward to rest. She could hear the soft whispers of Clay, Raimundo, and Dojo behind her, and Kimiko felt her tears threaten to overtake her again.

She was alive, healing, and back with her best friends. Kimiko had never felt more grateful in her life.

But Jack was all alone now, and Kimiko couldn't help but feel his pain tearing at her heart. Chase would waste no time in going after him, and Kimiko desperately prayed that he was all right. She had no sense of time: it might have been days since she had last seen Jack.

_He could be dead by now._

Shuddering, Kimiko used the darkness pulling her down to escape her deepest fears. Within moments, she was in a deep, uneasy sleep.

* * *

Jack screamed as the whip cut into his flesh, sending a splattering of blood to the floor. His body was already soaked with sweat and blood, and Jack leaned forward as the blow connected with his back. He had been enduring this for hours now, and already he was ready to give in.

His hands were chained and outstretched as he hanged limply between two posts, his body stretched out like an x. Jack stifled his next scream, and instead attempted to get his wet and sweaty hair out of his eyes.

But, the next blow came too soon, and Jack couldn't help but cry out as the cold, leather whip carved into his bare back. He was wearing only the ripped and ragged pants he had arrived in, and they were already soaked towards the top in blood from his own back.

"I don't know!" he managed to gasp desperately, almost out of breath. "Please! I don't-"

Jack's words were cut out as he screamed again, tears forming in his eyes. The tall, dark haired man in armor behind him angrily stepped forward, and Jack felt himself involuntarily shrink from his presence.

_"Lies!"_ Chase hissed, throwing down the whip and striding towards him. Within seconds, his hand was around Jack's neck. "You know damn well where she is! I'll ask you one more time Spicer…_Where is the Dragon of Fire?"_

"I…don't…know!" Jack gasped frantically. "Chase, I swear-" His face paled as he tried to breathe; there was no way to defend himself. And if Chase didn't let go in a few seconds…

Miraculously, Chase released Jack and spat on him. "You know where she is," he growled in a low voice, wiping his mouth. Jack went limp for a few seconds as he struggled to catch his breath, letting his weight fall on his wrists and the chains.

"I swear," he pleaded, looking desperately up at him. "I-I don't know!" Chase rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. Instantly, the chains on Jack's wrists unlocked, and Jack collapsed to the hard ground. He could barely move he was in so much pain, and Jack wondered how Kimiko had ever endured this. She had been tortured for days…and already he was willing to give in after only one.

Before he could get a hold of himself, two of the guards latched onto his arms and jerked him upright. Jack hissed in pain and tried to stand as Chase faced him once more.

" Take him away, we're not going to get anything out of him," Chase spat, glaring him down. Jack shuddered as the guards began to drag him back to his cell and out of the hateful stare of Chase Young.

Every step he took was filled with pain, and soon, Jack was dragged more than he walked. The journey back to the cold, dark cell became a blur, and Jack suddenly realized he had been thrown on the hard floor of his cell.

He groaned and tried to move, but found that the wounds in his back were more painful than ever. Jack collapsed again and closed his eyes.

Immediately, he found himself thinking of Kimiko. After all, Chase was only torturing him because she disappeared. Chase had been past furious then, and was willing to take his aggression out on anyone present…and that included Jack. He considered himself lucky to be alive after what Chase had did to some of his warriors.

He groaned and eventually forced himself into a sitting position, then poured some of the water left for him down his back. Jack shuddered as the water splashed his open wounds. He didn't have anything to wrap them with, but at least they'd be somewhat clean: Jack had no other choice. He lay back down on the cold floor, wincing as he slowly lowered himself to the stones.

The cell was quieter than he had imagined it would become. With Kimiko gone, Jack felt depleted of energy and any drive to fight back. She had been the one to comfort him, even in her darkest hour together. And now, Jack had never felt so alone in his life.

He had no idea what had happened to her: one moment, Kimiko had been waiting for her death and the next, she was gone. Jack knew she had been near death with her injuries, and he desperately prayed that some miracle had helped her out. For a while after the incident, he had thought Raimundo and Clay had rescued her…But that was impossible. After all, they were both dead, and it was near impossible to sneak into Chase's palace undetected. Jack sighed forlornly, hoping she had made it out alive. And if not…Well, Jack was sure he was going to join her soon. Chase was convinced that he had somehow helped Kimiko escape, and wasn't going to stop torturing him until he got what he wanted.

"Kimiko…" he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut tighter. "Please…be safe…"

* * *

It was hours later when Jack awoke. The air around him seemed unusually still and quiet. Usually, he could hear the guards talking outside, but this time the halls were strangely silent. Jack sat up, straining his eyes in the darkness. Jack felt strangely warm and feverish to the touch, yet he shivered in the cool air.

His back was stiff and crusted over with blood, and Jack grimaced in pain. He tenderly ran a hand along his lower back, and quickly drew his fingers away. The guards would be arriving soon, and Jack didn't want to be bleeding before they started torturing him again.

Then, the sound of fast footsteps met his ears, and Jack snapped his head up. He could hear a few urgent voices outside now, along with several fast paces of people. Jack listened as one of the guards barked an order. The voice was met with more footsteps, and Jack narrowed his eyes. Something was definitely going on outside.

Abruptly, the voices and the footsteps stopped. The halls fell silent again, and Jack relaxed slightly. As his vision blurred slightly from his current state of drowsiness, he leaned back against the stone walls. The cold stone felt almost soothing on his burning back, and he sighed in relief. The air grew even stiller than before, and Jack's eyes flew open.

Without warning, there was a shout outside his door and a giant crash. Then, with a deafening boom, the door flew off its hinges as splinters of wood rained down in his cell. Jack yelled and scrambled backwards, shielding his eyes as he backed into the farthest corner of his cell.

Smoke blurred his vision as dust rained down from the ceiling. Jack could barely see the outline of two men behind the clouds of dust, and he shrank back against the walls, his heart pounding loudly in his chest.

The smoke cleared slightly, and Jack stared in disbelief as two men stepped forward. The shorter and leaner of the two crossed his arms, glaring at Jack with a ferocity that rivaled Chase's. Jack lowered his hand from his eyes and slowly got to his feet, placing his hand against the wall for support.

"Raimundo…" Jack started softly, still staring at them in disbelief.

"We're only here because of Kimiko," he snarled, glaring back at him. "If I had my way, I'd leave you here to die."

"Rai, we don't have much time, don't be startin' anything now," Clay said from behind him, his voice slightly urgent. Raimundo glared at Jack one last time before turning on his heels and walking sharply back out of the cell. Clay followed him, leaving Jack to stare at them in confusion: he still couldn't believe that the two Xiaolin Dragons were there in front of him. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Jack took two shaky steps forward, and collapsed to the floor.

* * *

Kimiko closed her eyes and laid back on her futon, staring up into the dusty and broken rafters of the Xiaolin Temple. It had been four days now since Raimundo and Clay left her, and she had hardly left the building. It was still incredibly painful to try and even walk, but she was getting better every day.

Raimundo and Clay hadn't wanted to leave her alone in her condition, but she had survived so far on her own, and Kimiko was desperate. She didn't want to be left alone, either, but with Jack's life on the line, she was willing to do anything.

But now, she was beginning to worry. After all, she had sent them on a mission that could be deadly if they were captured. To stop her fears from overwhelming her, Kimiko got to her feet and began to slowly move outside. Although Raimundo would have had a fit if he saw her moving so much, she was eager to get back to training.

Her element hadn't resurfaced yet, but Kimiko assumed that it was because she had such little energy. Still, she kept draining herself time after time, in an attempt to draw even the tiniest of flame. Today was no different: after blocking out the mere pain from standing up, Kimiko closed her eyes and began to concentrate, desperately trying to draw something.

The silence around her abruptly ended as Kimiko heard the wind pick up from outside, and her eyes flew open. She scrambled over to a crude walking stick Clay had left for her and hobbled towards the door, her heart pounding in her chest. Then, her eyes widened.

A giant green dragon was slowly coming to a halt in the courtyard, and her heart leapt. Two figures easily sprang off its back, and Kimiko felt her body freeze. But then, the two turned and bent over Dojo's back. In a few moments, they had a body between them, who managed to stand somewhat upright. His arms were curved around their necks for support, and the three began to move forward slowly, almost dragging the man in between. Kimiko's heart stopped, and the stick dropped from her hands.

And then, she was running towards them as fast as her injuries would allow her.

Kimiko's heart was pounding as she ran faster. Pain stabbed into her legs with every step, but she didn't care. Within moments, she was only a few feet away from them. Jack dropped his arms from around the guy's shoulders and shakily stepped forward towards her.

Her arms wrapped around his bare and bleeding torso, and he gently wrapped his around hers. Kimiko buried her head into his shoulder as Jack closed his eyes, a heavy sigh of relief escaping his throat, unaware that Raimundo was watching him with a murderous expression. Rai stepped forward to separate them, but Clay pushed him back.

Kimiko felt warmth fill her veins, and she suddenly stepped back. Staring in concentration at her hands, she snapped her fingers, and a weak flame appeared in her palm. Her face lit up as she looked up at Jack, and then flew back into her arms.

Kimiko had never felt so alive.

**(Review!)**


	14. Jealousy

**Chapter 13**

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"Why is she always with _him_?" Raimundo muttered angrily under his breath, glaring at the scene in front of him with disgust. "She should be with us! We save her life after weeks of being imprisoned, and the first thing she does is run straight into the arms of her captor!" His lips curled into a snarl, and he forced himself to look away.

He was sitting with Clay and Dojo inside the main part of the Xiaolin Temple, watching Kimiko and Jack through the doorway. She was attempting to do what she could for his wounds, and from the look on Jack's face, he clearly wasn't enjoying it.

Clay, who had been tending to the small fire in the room, laid a heavy hand on Raimundo's shoulder. "Easy partner," he cautioned. His eyes wandered out to Kimiko, and he sighed as well. Raimundo was getting angrier by the minute, and this was not the first time Clay had to calm him down. "They went through a lot together…Kimiko is just makin' sure he's okay-"

"Kimiko is a lot more wounded than he is! If anything, he should be helping _her_, not the other way around. _We_ should be helping her! We haven't seen her in over a month, and she still wants to hang around that scum instead of us. I wish I left him to rot with Chase instead of bringing him here."

"Cut Kim some slack," Dojo interrupted, slithering over to Clay's bag in the corner to find some supplies. "You don't know what she went through those past few weeks. Maybe she needs Jack more than us right now. Far as I know, he saved her life."

"Destroyed her life is more like it," Raimundo retorted back. "If it wasn't for him, she never would have been brought to Chase in the first place." His angered eyes fell back onto Jack, and they narrowed in pure disgust. Jack was like an idiotic, lovesick puppy they way he looked at her. Raimundo suppressed a gag, and crossly ran his fingers through his hair.

"You know what I think?" Clay said softly, looking directly at Raimundo. He turned and faced Clay in annoyance.

"What?"

"I think you're jealous of 'im."

"_Jealous?_ Of _Jack?_ What the hell, Clay! Why would I be jealous of trash like _him_?"

"Because he's with Kimiko more than you are."

"Obviously," Dojo agreed, rolling his eyes. "We're not blind, Raimundo…We all know about what happened between you and Kim."

"I love her, is there a problem with that?" Rai snapped defensively. "I'm concerned about her, and I want to make sure that she doesn't get even more hurt by hanging around Jack anymore." He glared at Clay and Dojo, but his eyes traveled past them and to the doorway.

"We know, Raimundo," Clay said gently. His eyes locked onto Rai's, and a moment of uneasiness passed between them. Raimundo scowled and got to his feet, not looking back as he headed towards the door.

"I'm going to get more water," he lied, picking up a large jar for effect. After a year of abandonment and destruction, the Temple lacked all of its previous modern conveniences, and they were back to gathering water from the river. "I'll be back later."

Raimundo closed the door firmly behind him, leaving Clay and Dojo staring after him with grim expressions.

* * *

"This is going to sting a bit."

Kimiko glanced over at Jack as she rung out a towel filled with hot water and prepared to lay it across one of the deep welts on his back. He was lying stomach down on a blanket in front of her, his head resting on his hands as he watched her wearily. He took a sharp intake of breath as the towel first hit him, and Kimiko flinched before continuing on.

He had no idea how Kimiko was still standing, nevertheless cleaning his wounds. Her injuries were only barely beginning to heal and he could see exhaustion in her eyes, but she kept going. Jack could only imagine what it was like for her, seeing his bloody back when she knew her own was deeply scarred beneath her bandages.

Kimiko put down the towel once the welts were clean and reached for a small jar of ointment Raimundo had found in what was left of the infirmary. As she began to gently apply it to his wounds, Jack's shoulders tightened in reflex. His body was soaked in perspiration from the pain, and he had to grit his teeth to keep from crying out.

Kimiko finished quickly and grabbed a roll of bandages, while Jack slowly got onto his knees. She began to bind his chest tightly with the clean cloth, humming under her breath as she looped the bandages again and again around him. Jack watched her with weary eyes, trying not to feel guilty as her shoulders began to droop from the effort.

As Kimiko finished the last few bands around his lower back, a movement behind her caught Jack's attention, and he narrowed his eyes. Raimundo was coming up the path from the Temple towards him, an annoyed expression on his face. Jack's eyes met his, and for a moment, a look of pure hatred passed between them.

It had been like this ever since Jack had been rescued from Chase's dungeon. Raimundo had made it clear that he hated Jack, and he would not rest until he was gone from all of their lives…including Kimiko's. As of now, Jack was sure she was the only reason Raimundo hadn't killed him already.

He could understand why Raimundo would act this way towards him, but that meant that Jack would have to keep his guard up at all times. Clay and Dojo generally avoided him and spoke coolly to him when they needed to, but Raimundo was an entirely different story. Although Jack hadn't spoken to him since the night he was rescued, Raimundo made it easy to understand that he was the leader, and Jack had no place among the Xiaolin Dragons.

And Kimiko, caught between the two of them, was suffering for it. Although there was an unspoken rule that she would be left out of their struggles, Kimiko knew there was something wrong, and she was doing all she could to stop them from fighting. Until today, she had barely touched Jack and stayed by Raimundo's side, trying to keep him calm. She and Clay were both aware of his vicious temper, and Kimiko was afraid of what would happen if Rai found out just exactly what had happened between her and Jack.

As far as Raimundo knew, Kimiko had simply been bought and used for chores by Jack, where she discovered he was no longer on Chase's side. But before they could do anything, Kimiko was discovered, and Jack soon followed. He saved her life twice, first when he bought her and saved her from the clutches of another Heylin warrior, and second, when he cared for her in the cell. She denied that there was something more between them, but Raimundo had his suspicions.

"There!" she said in relief, finishing the final loop of bandages. "I'll have to change these in a day or two, but at least you're all clean, and hopefully, there won't be an infection." She brushed off her hands and lazily sat back on the blanket, a smug smile on her face.

Jack managed to smile back, though his eyes were still trained on Raimundo approaching them from behind. "Thank you, Kimiko," he murmured under his breath. She waved his comment off, and lay back onto the blanket.

"You save my life, I save yours, huh?"

Jack let out a half laugh, half scoff, and shook his head. Raimundo was almost upon them now, and Jack knew he had to watch what he said. Over the past few days, if he was even too friendly towards her, Rai was sure to step in. "Now it's time for you to worry about yourself…You're not invincible, Kimiko. Everyone wants you to rest, and you haven't stopped moving since you got here."

She rolled her eyes and sat back up, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Jack, my element is fire…and I just got it back! Do you think I'm going to sit-"

"Good job Kim. I think he's going to live." A dark shadow suddenly passed over her shoulders, and Kimiko flinched. Even she couldn't miss the bitterness in his voice. But, she smiled anyways and looked at Raimundo, while Jack acted like he hadn't even heard him.

"I've done all I can, now we can only hope for the best. But, he's not in danger of dying any time soon. As long as I keep changing the bandages, he'll be fine."

Jack had been trying to keep as straight a face as he could, but it was hard to ignore Raimundo's burning stare and Kimiko's nervous glances while they spoke. He ran a hand over his stomach, feeling the stiff overlapping of the bandages, then looked defiantly up at the Xiaolin Warrior across from him. "Sorry, Raimundo. Look's like I'm going to be hanging around here for a while more."

Kimiko's weak smile faltered slightly as she glanced across at Jack. He was surprised to find that there was warmth in her eyes, and Jack smirked back, knowing it would do nothing but anger Raimundo.

Rai's eyes narrowed slightly, but he paid Jack no more attention. Instead, he turned to Kimiko with what appeared to be concern in his eyes. Jack dropped his gaze again, knowing exactly what was coming.

"Kim, you look exhausted. You've been out here all day…why don't you go inside and rest a little before dinner? You look like you need some sleep."

Kimiko uneasily looked at Jack again, but he didn't meet her eyes this time. "I guess…" she said slowly, though it was clear she didn't want to leave. "I'm honestly not that tired…I thought I could last until tonight."

"Kim, you're not healed yet, you need rest. Besides, I'm sure Dojo and Clay would like to see you…you've barely said a word to them since you came here. I'll finish cleaning up for you, just go inside."

"Jack, will you be okay?" Kimiko could sense the tension between them, even though they were both struggling to act perfectly normal. Her face hardened and she made no attempt to move just yet.

"I'll be fine. Raimundo is right, you do need rest. But thank you…for everything. I probably wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for you." She wasn't reassured, but Raimundo pulled her to her feet anyways, with a smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. She slowly began to walk towards the Temple, looking back over her shoulder only once.

Jack and Raimundo, left alone, acted naturally until she was out of sight. Rai busied himself by collecting the jars of ointment and bandages, and Jack watched him with weary eyes. But, as soon as she disappeared into the Temple, Raimundo turned back to him, murder in his eyes. Jack rivaled his glare with a cold expression of his own.

"What is Kimiko to you?" Rai snapped angrily, his voice low. Jack stared at him, wondering what he could possibly say without making a death wish.

"Why?" Jack asked finally. "Are you worried about me taking her away from you?" His words were unfriendly and blunt, but the smallest bit of a smile played on his lips. Raimundo saw this, and grew angrier.

"Don't mess with me," he snarled, standing up. Rai towered over him, his muscles tensed as if he were ready to attack Jack. "I know you messed around with her when she was your _slave_," he spat the word, looking at him in disgust. "Kimiko hasn't said anything, but if I find out you even _touched_ her, kissed her, or lay one finger on her when she didn't want it, I will kill you. I will take you out before any of the others notice, and rip you to shreds." Raimundo was perfectly serious, and Jack didn't doubt his threats. Especially in his condition, it would be child's play for Rai to kill him. Jack didn't stand a chance.

Instead of cowering in front of the all-mighty Dragon of the Wind, Jack stared back at him defiantly.

"But what if Kimiko wanted it?" he asked boldly. "Have you ever considered, for just _one_ moment, that Kimiko might not want _you_? Did it ever occur to you that she could fall in love with someone else? I'll tell you this right now, Raimundo. Kimiko is not yours, nor will she ever be. I may have bought her, but unlike you, I have never treated her like _property_."

Raimundo stared at him, a deadly expression that Jack had never seen before on his face. As brave as he felt, Jack was beginning to think that talking back was not the best option right now. Chase Young's ferocity was nothing compared to the rage Jack was facing now. He had essentially just signed his own death warrant.

"You listen to me now, Jack," Raimundo growled, stepping forwards towards him. "The only reason you are alive right now is because of Kimiko. You may have fooled her with this little 'good' act of yours, but you haven't fooled me. Sure, she may have gotten to know you better when you kept her prisoner, but her place is with the Xiaolin Dragons, and always will be. Nothing will change that, and once she clears her head of all the torment you put her through, she'll see exactly what you are. A sadistic, no-good, heartless _git_ like you always were. And if you thought for even one second that she loved you…you're wrong. Why would Kimiko want scum like you, when she's had me by her side all this time?"

Jack narrowed his eyes and glared back at him, disbelief written across his face. "Act?" he repeated scornfully. He couldn't help but laugh, and Raimundo bristled in front of him. "The only act I see around here is yours, Raimundo. Do you think Kimiko is never going to notice your little two-face façade? You're the only person she's been close to for the past three years, and she's been blinded by your friendship. Now that she's seen the outside world…It's time she saw exactly what _you_ are…A jealous, possessive bastard who can't face the fact that his girlfriend fell in love with someone else. I may have changed sides because I saw what was right in this world, but I have never put on an act. I know who I am, and I'm not going to hide it from Kimiko."

Jack's lips were set into a fine line as he spoke, and he could see a vein throbbing in Rai's temple. Jack knew he was going to pay dearly for this later, but he didn't care. Raimundo opened his mouth to speak, but Jack cut him off before he had a chance to say anything.

"Look, Raimundo. No matter what we say, nothing is going to change the fact that we can't choose who Kimiko wants. I'm not willing to give her up and neither are you, but it's her decision, not ours. So you can play all the games that you want, you can try and lead her away from me, and you can even try to take my life if you're that desperate. But I am going to remain here for as long as Kimiko wants me, and you're going to have to deal with that."

_Crack._ A blinding light flashed through Jack's eyes and suddenly, he was lying on his back, a red-hot pain burning across his face. He slowly opened his eyes to see Raimundo standing over him, his fist still raised in the air. Jack tenderly felt his swollen flesh on his cheek and then looked up. He had never seen Raimundo look so malicious in his life.

Before he could say anything, there was another sharp pain to his side and Jack doubled over, clutching at his stomach. His face had gone white: Raimundo had kicked him directly on one of his wounds. Jack tried to get up to face him, but before he could, he was knocked back down. He grunted as his back hit the ground, and a heavy foot landed in the center of his chest.

Raimundo was staring down at him, his hair flying wildly around his head. In his hands, there was a swirling orb of wind. He was ready to kill Jack, and both of them knew it. Jack never took his eyes off of him as the pain in his chest grew from the constant weight. Their eyes locked onto each other's, and neither moved for a very long minute.

"Raimundo." A soft voice suddenly interrupted the ferocity of their moment, and Rai snapped his head away to look at the approaching figure. Clay was standing just a few feet away, staring at him with a hardened expression. Their eyes met, and Clay looked at him warningly. He didn't even pay attention to Jack, who was now finding it very difficult to breathe under the weight of Raimundo's foot.

Scowling, Rai allowed the ball of wind to die and he stepped off of Jack, making no attempt to spare him from any more pain. He stalked angrily away from the two and towards the Temple, never looking back. Clay glanced back at Jack, then followed him.

"I'll tell Kim yeh don't feel well," he said softly, though his words were cold. Jack didn't move as Clay spoke, and curled his legs up to his side. Apparently, he would be missing the meal tonight to allow Raimundo to cool down. _That_, he supposed, was a lot better than Rai killing him in Kimiko's presence.

He would have to be on his guard at all times, from now on. No one was safe from Raimundo's wrath.

* * *

Kimiko couldn't sleep. The moon had fully risen in the darkened skies, and its blood-red rays illuminated the Temple through all the broken windows. Clay and Raimundo lay on either side of her, already fast asleep. She rolled onto her side, and then, as a sharp pang of pain shot up her spine, Kimiko winced and went to her back. Her body was pumped with adrenaline, though she didn't know why.

A sudden shadow passed by the doorway, and Kimiko sat up in terror. The Temple was silent, save Clay's heavy snores and the now loud beating of her heart. She strained her eyes into the darkness, then almost cried out as a figure appeared in the doorway. As he came into the light of the dying fire besides them, Kimiko had to clap a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out.

"Jack!" she hissed. "What the hell are you-" She stopped abruptly as he put a finger to his lips, and motioned her to follow him. Kimiko glanced fearfully at her companions, then slowly got to her feet and tiptoed after him. Raimundo rolled over in his sleep and at the doorway she froze, but as he let out a deep breath, her shoulders sagged and she continued on.

Jack waited just beyond the Temple's doors, and Kimiko met him on the path. Jack pulled Kimiko into his arms, holding her as tightly as he dared. She went willingly and buried her face into the crook of his neck. Jack rested his head on top of hers, breathing in the scent of her hair. He closed his eyes as Kimiko wrapped his arms around his waist, and he merely held her tighter.

Finally, Kimiko let out a ragged sigh and looked up, meeting his eyes again. "I missed you so much," she whispered. Jack tried to smile as he stepped back, keeping his hands on her hips. He took her hand in his and led her away from the Temple. They stopped out of sight, in the gardens, where they both sat along the broken fountain.

"You don't know how much it hurt to be away with you," he murmured. Jack rewrapped an arm around her waist, and Kimiko scooted closer to him.

She suddenly felt liberated, in a way she hadn't felt since the skies first went black. In Chase's dungeons, their time together had been desperate and uncertain, but now, they both were free. She had time before she would have to face Chase again, even though she was desperate for a chance to finally bring him down.

As pleased as Kimiko felt, one look at Jack's expression made her feel uneasy, and she placed a hand on his leg. "Jack…what's the matter? Why did you come for me tonight?"

He sighed heavily and sat back on the fountain's edge, looking back towards the Temple. He knew she would ask, but after hours of thinking of an excuse, he had none. Jack didn't want to hurt her, but she needed to hear the truth about Raimundo. Slowly, Jack looked back to Kimiko, and softened his voice. "You know as well as I do that I'm not wanted here."

She scowled immediately and looked away. "Clay and Raimundo just don't see that you've changed yet," she said firmly, crossing her arms. "I know they hate you, but they can't just ignore the past. Neither can I, but at least I know you're different. If you weren't…neither of us would be here right now."

"If only it was that simple."

Kimiko sighed heavily and glanced back at him. "Jack, I know you feel unwanted, but Raimundo and Clay will come around. Just give them time. They trust me in bringing you here, and eventually, they'll trust you too. I know there's a lot of tension between you three, but it'll pass."

They fell into silence for a few minutes, and Jack wrapped an arm around her waist. Kimiko leaned against him, peaceful for the first time in weeks.

There were thoughts nagging at the back of both of their minds, both involving Raimundo. Jack was aware of Kimiko's previous relationship with Rai, but he wasn't sure what to think of it now. The Dragon of the Wind had tried numerous times in Jack's presence to make it clear that Kimiko was still with him. But, she had rejected (or pretended she didn't notice) his advances every time. Sighing, Jack turned to Kimiko, meeting her eyes without hesitation.

"What…is your relationship with Raimundo?"

She instantly tensed in his arms and looked away, unwilling to answer. In part, Kimiko was afraid to hear the words herself, but she sighed heavily and looked down at her hands.

"I…love him," she said quietly. They were engulfed in silence as Kimiko struggled to find the right words. "Raimundo and I were always the closest out of any of the Dragons, especially when we first came to the Temple. We were best friends, and when we grew older…we became more than that. I won't deny what happened between us…in the past year, we had nothing to live for except each other."

She sighed heavily and clutched her hands into fists. "But this past month…everything changed. He's not the same person I used to know. A month ago, I was so sure I would spend the rest of my life with him. Now, I don't know who Raimundo is. I don't know who _I_ am; maybe _I'm_ the one that changed. But I still love him so much…not like I used to, but he is one of the most important people in my life. I need him."

Jack pulled her closer to him, and she collapsed into his arms. He could only imagine what she was feeling right now. In the last few weeks, Kimiko had lost everything she had ever known-her friends, her life, her freedom- and she had been destroyed from the inside. Now, she was regaining her past life at a heavy cost. Kimiko was no longer ignorant of the devastation that had ruined the world while the dragons had been forced to hide, nor was she blind to the changes in her companions. Nothing would ever be the same.

After a few long moments, she laughed bitterly and wiped her eyes, then pried herself away from him. "Sorry," she muttered under her breath. Jack nodded and gently took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. She dejectedly looked down at their hands, and sighed heavily.

"And of us, Jack? What are we?"

He looked up to the moon before meeting her gaze, his eyes downcast. "We're two kids tangled in a world of hate and destruction. We're enemies turned friends, from two separate worlds. We should be impossible…but we're here, together. I don't know what we are, Kimiko….But I do know that I love you. And that's all that matters to me."

She was quiet for a long moment, the expression on her face indecipherable. "We shouldn't be together," she murmured under her breath. "I…have to stop Chase. I can't get distracted, the world is going to be destroyed without me…without us…and I can't do this without you."

The smallest of smiles graced Jack's lips, and he cupped her head with his free hand. Jack leaned in towards her, and Kimiko found that she was suddenly breathing very heavily. "I love you too," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Jack's smile grew larger before their lips crashed together, flooding his body with heat.

And by the Xiaolin Temple, the Wings of Tenabi fell wordlessly from Raimundo's hands. His face was hardened into disbelief and anger, and his hands clutched into fists. Rage was building inside of him, an emotion that came easily to him and was hard to relieve.

_"No,"_ he whispered disbelievingly. His voice turned to anger as he looked at Jack. This was all _his_ fault. Raimundo would never be able to forgive him.

_I'm going to kill him._

He didn't think of Kimiko at all, only his anger. With his chest heaving, he picked up the Shen Gong Wu. Raimundo didn't look back as he spread the wings, and disappeared into the night sky.

* * *

"Kimiko." Her name was whispered the next morning in the stillness of dawn, and Kimiko sleepily opened her eyes. Clay was there, kneeling by her head. His voice had been urgent, desperate.

"Clay?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "It's so early…What…What's wrong?"

"It's Raimundo. He's…gone."

* * *

Raimundo's eyes were heavy with exhaustion as he trudged through the town, his face obscured by a hood. The eyes of his companions watched his every step as he moved, from the sides of buildings and street corners. Even his own face stared at him, burning holes through his disguise. He was foolish to even think of coming here, but Raimundo didn't care. No one would recognize him anyways.

He had spent the last week flying from village to village, stealing what he could and hiding in the woods. Raimundo felt empty of any emotions except anger, and no thoughts except for revenge claimed his mind. He couldn't return to the Temple…not now.

Jack was a threat that needed to be eliminated. He had destroyed the harmony of the Xiaolin Temple, spread lies about his loyalties, and had almost gotten all of the Dragons killed in one way or another…And now he was trying to take the one person Raimundo cared about most away from him. Raimundo couldn't stand it.

_He may have fooled them about who he is, but not me. I'll reveal what he really is._

Raimundo's anger had not cooled over the week. And now, he knew what to do. He returned to the town nearest to the Temple, where they had first started the Rebellion and stolen supplies. A covering of dark facial hair and his red, bloodshot eyes distorted his face. No one would think that he would return here. The idea itself was suicidal.

And quite calmly, Raimundo approached the Warrior's headquarters, where Chase's troops gathered daily and received orders. He paused outside the rough building and tore down a poster, crumpling it in his hands. Narrowing his eyes under the cloak's hood, he pushed open the door, and made his way towards the front desk. None of the soldiers inside took notice of him.

An older warrior was positioned at the desk, filling out reports of the day's activities. Raimundo stopped in front of him, still holding the piece of paper. The warrior looked up and scowled, annoyed to be disturbed.

"Can I help you?"

Raimundo slammed the poster down in front of him, and leaned forward. His voice was lower than usual and his face was hidden. The warrior looked down at the picture of the young man with unruly hair, then back to Raimundo.

"I can lead you to Jack Spicer."

**((Review please!))**


	15. Divided

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Xiaolin Showdown. Oh, and on a side note, I saw a Jack Spicer cosplayer at Otakon and stalked him for a better part of my trip. Are you proud of me?**

**Chapter 14**

**(-)**

"Kimiko…come inside. Raimundo isn't comin' back any time soon. Sittin' here ain't gonna change that."

Clay placed a heavy palm on her shoulder and tried to steer her back towards the Temple, but she numbly shook her head and stared out at the darkening mountains. Kimiko had been sitting there for days, watching for any sign that Raimundo would return. It had been a week so far without any word from him and everyone was anxious.

But Kimiko had taken it the hardest. From the moment that she heard he was missing, she had become a walking ghost. There were dark shadows under her eyes from lack of sleep, and her body was pale. She barely ate anything and was always quiet, always searching the darkness for his approaching figure. And now, she couldn't be moved from her perch on the crumbling rocks surrounding the Temple.

As Kimiko didn't respond to Clay's touch, Jack came forward with Dojo and sat besides her. In the past few days, the tension between the two had faded away, as their concern for Kimiko was more important. Clay and Jack had even been working together, although they still were very uncomfortable with each other.

"Kimiko…"

"He knows we need to stay together," she interrupted bitterly, her voice shaking. "Raimundo knows we can't be separated! We can't take down Chase without him, we don't have the power. And I just got back, why would he run away now?"

Clay and Jack both reached for her at the same time, then awkwardly pulled back when they saw the other. So, instead, Dojo crawled into her lap and crossed his scaly arms.

"Kim, you know Raimundo better than everyone. He's a hothead! We just need to let him do what he needs to do, and when he's ready to come home, he will. Raimundo isn't stupid; he won't do anything rash that would get him captured. Just relax and stop worrying so much. He'll come back." Dojo sounded confident enough, but it was clear that he was worried too. Raimundo did not have the best track record when he went off on his own.

Kimiko sighed heavily and brought her legs up to her chest, forcing Dojo off of her. At last, Jack looked over to Clay and put his arm around her. When Clay showed no signs of bitterness, he let his shoulders fall, and Kimiko curled up besides him. Clay gently put his hand on her knee, and Dojo crawled back around her feet. Together, the little group sat in silence, staring out at the slowly rising moon in the blood red sky. Yet, the moment seemed empty without its final member. Kimiko's body tensed as she took a deep breath, and Clay glanced back over her head to Jack.

At last, when the moon had risen directly overhead, Clay spoke. "We're runnin' out of supplies," he said, his voice unusually low. "We hit the last of the bread yesterday, and we barely have any meat left. It's time for another food raid." He met Jack's gaze and frowned. The same thought was on their mind, but Clay shook his head and continued on.

"Since Kimiko is too weak to travel, she'll have to stay here. But she also needs someone with her, jus' in case-"

"I'm _not_ weak," she interrupted, hurriedly breaking free of their grasps. She shakily rose to her feet and crossed her arms, glaring at Clay and Jack all the while. "My wounds healed over days ago, and I can walk. Don't leave me-"

"What about Raimundo, Kim?" Clay cut her off, his voice a bit stronger. "If he comes back while we're gone, he may think we left or got captured. Someone needs to stay here and wait…and no offense, little lady, but I think you could use some more down time. If we face any of Chase's warriors, you're in no condition to fight." He nodded at her already shaking legs from the exhaustion of standing up, and Kimiko's face fell.

"I'll stay with her," Jack said softly, raising his head to meet Clay's uneasy eyes. "My wounds are a lot better already than Kimiko's…I can protect her if something happens. Plus, I've never done a raid before. It might be easier if just you and Dojo go out, I don't want to mess anything up."

He could see the apprehension and unwillingness in Clay's face, but Jack kept his own expression steady. Kimiko looked indifferent, her own gaze drawn back to the darkened mountains before them. There was a long moment of silence, and at last, Clay let out a defeated sigh.

"It's settled then," he said softly. "We'll leave tomorrow. Come on Kimiko, let's get you inside…We could all use some sleep."

She nodded dejectedly, though her eyes did not move from the mountains. Slowly, Clay wrapped his arms around her and effortlessly lifted her body into his arms. She didn't resist, and merely curled against his chest. "I miss him," she whispered, closing her eyes. Jack got to his feet and followed as Dojo and Clay walked back towards the Temple.

"We all do, Kim…We all do."

* * *

The following morning, Kimiko stood hesitantly back by the Temple while Clay and Jack loaded the bags he needed onto Dojo's back. Jack fastened the final bag around Dojo's stomach while Clay held it steady on top.

"You're sure you can manage without me, partner?" Clay asked uncertainly, his eyes betraying his deeper fears. "We can always hold back a few more days for Raimundo, and go when he comes back-"

"I'll be fine," Jack reassured him, straightening his back. "I feel better every day, and Kimiko is almost ready to fight again. Besides, if anything happens, we have the rest of the Shen Gong Wu. We'll be okay."

"Keep her safe, Jack," Dojo said simply. He stretched his back, trying to get used to the feel of the packs he would be flying with. Jack smiled and laid a hand on his cool scales.

"You too, Dojo. Be careful flying, you never know who will be watching the skies."

The movement of Kimiko slowly walking towards them caught Clay's eyes, and he turned to Jack. He laid a heavy palm on his shoulder, his face suddenly serious. "What I'm worried about the most," he said quietly, with a glance in Kimiko's direction, "is that Raimundo will come back when I'm not here. You know how he feels about you…He might try to pull something…and I won't be around to stop him from hurting you."

Jack's eyes darkened and Clay knew he had considered the same thing. "If he does," he said coolly, his face perfectly serious, "I'll be ready. I'm not going to put up with him any longer."

Clay sighed and released his shoulder, then stepped away. "Just be careful," he murmured, his face suddenly growing more positive as Kimiko approached. Clay swooped her into his arms and twirled around with her as she laughed. "We'll be back in a few days, lil' lady," he said jokingly, finally putting her down. "Behave yourself. Don' set Jack on fire or anything."

"Stay safe," she said lightly, though a forced smile on her face. "We'll be fine here." Kimiko quickly walked up to Dojo's front and hugged him, giving him a tender pat on his scales. "If anything goes wrong, get back here as soon as you can. We'll all leave together. No one is getting left behind."

Clay patted her shoulder before he climbed up onto Dojo. Jack wrapped his arms around Kimiko's shoulders. "Be safe," she murmured softly, and Jack held onto her tighter. Dojo rose into the skies, and the two watched as they disappeared into the red horizons. Then, with a sigh, they turned back towards the Temple.

There was nothing to do now, but wait.

* * *

The next morning, there was a note.

Jack wearily sat up in his bed as he saw the scrap of paper lying innocently by his pillow, and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He looked over to the side of him, where Kimiko was still sleeping peacefully, and frowned. Someone had been here over night…how had Jack not heard them? This troubled him immensely as he reached for the paper; already he was doing a terrible job of keeping Kimiko safe. The intruder could have slit their throats while they were sleeping…But how would they have known Kimiko and Jack were even here? Nothing made sense.

He unfolded the paper and scanned the note, his body stiffening. The untidy, boyish scrawl was all too familiar. His heart began to pound as he glanced over at Kimiko nervously. She was still lying innocently, unaware that someone had been in their room last night. Jack shook his head and looked back down to the note.

_I can't stay away from her any longer. I need her. The dragons need me._

_I know we have our differences, and I want to correct them._

_I want to talk things out. I'm tired of fighting._

_I know how much you mean to her._

_Meet me. Tomorrow, dawn, in the mountain valley. Alone._

_Don't worry Kimiko. She has enough on her mind as it is._

The note was unsigned, but Jack didn't need a name to know who it was from.

_Raimundo_.

He felt cold as he slowly tucked the letter into his robes, his mind already whirling with questions. Could Raimundo really want to make up? He slowly lay back down and wrapped an arm around Kimiko's waist, holding her protectively against him. He couldn't imagine Raimundo ever wanting to _talk_…but perhaps, Kimiko was worth it.

Or maybe, Raimundo was luring Jack to his death. He could be walking straight into an ambush, leaving the three Xiaolin warriors alone…just as they had been before. Perhaps Raimundo would attack him and finish him off, instead of talking at all. It was entirely possible.

In any case, Jack knew he would go. He didn't want to leave Kimiko by herself, but what other choice did he have? What would Raimundo do next if Jack didn't come? Kill him in front of her? He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, letting his body finally relax next to hers. He would worry about it when they both were awake.

* * *

The skies were still blood red with the darkness of night when Jack arose the next morning. Quietly, he detached his arms from around Kimiko's body and replaced them with a blanket. She merely clutched at the fabric and rolled over, her innocent sleeping face unchanging. Jack's gaze lingered upon her before he forced himself to his feet and began to get ready. He pulled on a set of robes that Clay had left for him, his heart pounding all the while.

Clay had taken the Fist of Tebigong with him for protection, and Raimundo had stolen the Wings of Tenabi, so only two Shen Gong Wu were left. Jack frowned as he slipped the Mantis Flip Coin into his pocket, his fingers lightly tracing over the carved designs. It had been so long since he had even touched Shen Gong Wu...After Chase had taken over the world, they had stopped revealing themselves completely. And with the rest of them possessed by Chase and his warriors, Jack hadn't used one in years.

He shook his head and grabbed his pack, then looked around the tiny room. Jack bent down and softly kissed Kimiko on her forehead, brushing one of his hands along her cheek. Then, with a sigh, he dropped his own note by her pillow and straightened his back. He only had an hour at most until dawn, and he wanted to be ready.

Slowly, he left the tiny building, making sure to shut the door firmly behind him. He was sure Kimiko would be safe in his absence, though he knew she would be angry when she discovered that he was gone. Jack trudged through the broken Temple grounds to the rough path in the mountains, and began to walk.

What was he going to say to Raimundo? The Xiaolin Dragon obviously expected him to make amends, but what could Jack say? He wasn't going to give up Kimiko, nor was he going to apologize for anything he had done that had angered Raimundo.

These thoughts troubled him as he followed the path to the mountains, knowing exactly where Raimundo wanted to meet him. It was a large, grassy opening where he knew the Dragons had once trained, bordered by what had once been a large forest and the tall mountains beyond it.

The sun had just started to rise as he reached the valley. The lush grasses he remembered had withered and fallen into a dirty track of land, and the trees surrounding it were just bare skeletons by now. Jack cautiously edged into the valley, his eyes scanning the tree line for any sign of movement. He was utterly alone.

After a few minutes of silence, Jack moved into the center of the valley and slipped his pack from his shoulders. It was past dawn now, and the red sun was steadily making its way higher into the sky. Shadows from the bare trees stretched out in front of him, and Jack felt a shiver run down his spine. Something wasn't right here. It was too quiet, and Raimundo should have been here by now. Jack frowned and decided to wait just a little longer. He pulled a small dagger from his bag into the pockets of his robe and made sure the Mantis Flip Coin was still within easy reach.

There was a sudden moment of eerie silence, and Jack felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Then, his body froze as a new sound filled the air, almost as if a bullet had just been fired from the trees.

He only had a split second to realize what it meant before there was a loud crack in front of him, and Jack was thrown into the rough earth. He cried out in surprise and fear as thick cords wrapped around him, binding him from head to toe, even gagging him. His heart was beating frantically as he struggled against the metallic bonds, which only continued to constrict him tighter. He knew it was no good to struggle…after all, he had designed them.

Tiny capsules, shot by regular guns, which exploded midair and could bind a target in mere seconds. Chase had wanted to easily capture humans, and so Jack had invented them a year ago. And now, they were being used against him. He snarled in frustration and twisted his hands, desperately trying to reach into his pocket, where his dagger was.

But before he could, there was a rough kick into his side, and Jack winced as his body was rolled over, his back to the rough earth and his face to the sky. Two figures stood above him, and Jack felt his body grow cold. _Chase's warriors._ They were dressed like Roman soldiers, but equipped with what looked like the entirety of Jack's inventions from the past year. He bit down hard into the cord gagging him, no longer able to even wiggle.

"It's really him," one of the soldiers said gruffly, though his voice carried a genuine note of surprise. He picked up his foot and nudged it against the markings under Jack's eyes. _"Spicer."_

"That ruffian was right. It wasn't a hoax," the other warrior responded, his voice the same as his companion's. Jack's body went cold as the warrior spoke, wincing as the foot knocked against his face.

Raimundo had not sent for him to attack him. He had brought Jack here to betray him.

And yet, this explained why there were only two soldiers, instead of a whole regiment. With his capture worth so much, there were probably hundreds of hoaxes for all of the wanted Dragons. Two warriors were more than enough to check a hoax out. And in his case, they were more than enough to bring him down, if he was alone and unaware.

Jack barely had time to register this before his panic set in, and he began his struggled anew. He knew he had to keep calm, but he could barely breathe. If he couldn't escape, he could be dead in hours…and Kimiko was all by herself. She could be in serious trouble if these warriors continued on to the Temple.

As the two warriors began to discuss how they were going to move him, Jack paused for a moment, his mind reeling. His own technology was being used against him…and he had an advantage. After all, he had designed these very restraints …He knew their weaknesses, and how to escape them.

Quickly, he went back to work on getting his hand to his dagger. When the capsules exploded, they left a small knob on the back of the victim's neck, where only a warrior could access if the victim didn't know what they were looking for. The cords were usually deactivated using a computerized control, but if they failed to open, Jack knew they could be opened manually. He had placed a tiny slit there that any sharp object could penetrate. And if he could just slide his dagger into that hole, the cords would retract. It was his only hope.

He grimaced in pain as he finally wrapped his fingers around his dagger, at the expense of his arm. The binds were cutting into his skin now, just as he had designed them to. A bead of cold sweat broke out onto his forehead as he began to wrench his arm behind his back, trying to reach the back of his neck. The two warriors were having a heated debate on the best way to bring him back to headquarters, and Jack knew he didn't have much time left before they made their decision.

With a muffled cry of pain as he dislocated his shoulder, Jack felt the tip of the dagger slide out from between two of the thick metallic cords. He just had to find the knob now; it was only a matter of concentration. With shaking fingers, he managed to prod the tiny bump, though he completely missed the opening. Jack's chest heaved with the efforts of breathing, and he let his shoulders go limp. The pain was beginning to get unbearable, and he could hardly think straight. More sweat broke out upon his forehead as he finally found the tiny slot, and managed to wedge the tiniest, thinnest tip of his dagger inside. Nothing happened.

"We're wasting time. Knock him out and let's go. We'll decide what to do with him when we get back to town."

"Chase is going to honor us for this!" The warrior rubbed his hands together as he stared down at Jack's contorted expression of pain, a smirk on his face. "One traitor down, three lousy kids to go."

Jack's heart jolted in his chest, and he frantically pressed harder on his dagger. The warriors were reaching for him now, their hands wrapping around the binds across his chest as they dragged his immobile body upwards. He panicked, and the corners of his vision flashed with darkness as the pain threatened to consume him. With one final wave of agony, he pressed harder.

There was a click, and suddenly Jack found that nothing was binding him at all.

* * *

Raimundo's heart was pounding. His plan had worked.

He had come into the valley well before dawn and hidden in the expanse of dead trees, waiting for Jack to take his bait. It had been easy enough to lure him out here, and even easier to get Chase's soldiers integrated into his plan. Even though the warriors received dozens of false reports each day, they always checked them out. Chase did not tolerate miscalculations, and if a chance to capture one of the four most wanted teenagers in the world was disregarded, there was hell to pay. Chase always found out somehow…and so, Raimundo had two soldiers to do his bidding.

He waited in his hiding spot until the soldiers fired their weapons, and then, he ran. Raimundo practically flew on his feet out into the mountains, where no one could see him. The Wings of Tenabi were too conspicuous to use. His heart continued to pound with exhilaration, and a grin crept onto his face.

The ruins of the Xiaolin Temple were quiet as he finally came upon them, and he slowed his steps. With utmost care, he silently made his way to Kimiko's room, leaving no tracks in the dirt. He slid her door open and peered inside, relief flooding him to find that she was still asleep and perfectly safe. Slowly, Raimundo made her way to his side, and quietly picked up the note Jack had left behind for her. With a look of disgust, he tucked it into his robes to dispose of later and gently put his hands on her arms.

"Kimiko," he whispered softly, though his voice was urgent. "Kimiko, please, wake up. It's me. Raimundo."

Her eyes fluttered open within moments of his gentle shaking. Then, she sat straight up in the futon with a loud gasp, staring at him with wide eyes. "Raimundo," she breathed softly, certain that her eyes were playing tricks on her. Then, Kimiko flung her arms around him. "I thought you weren't coming back!"

"Of course I was, Kim," he said reassuringly, holding her against him. Raimundo smiled gently and tucked a strand of her messy hair behind her ear. "I just needed some…time off. You know me." Raimundo slowly eased his crouch into a kneeling position, his face suddenly growing serious. "But listen, Kimiko," he said, a note of urgency in his voice. "On my way here, I saw Chase's warriors. They're scouting the mountains. They could get here at any moment, we have to go."

"What?" she exclaimed, her body suddenly growing cold. She threw off her blanket and got to her feet as Raimundo hastily rose upright. "N-no! They couldn't have found us so soon!" Kimiko looked around and suddenly froze in mid-step, her face going white. "…Where's Jack?"

"He's out getting water before we leave," Raimundo reassured her, gently grabbing her hands. "I saw him just a few minutes ago. We both agreed it was best to leave now before they find us. Kim, we don't have much time. Grab what supplies you can and we can get going. I have the Wings of Tenabi. Jack said he wanted you out of here as soon as I got to you. He's going to stay behind and wait for Clay, and then they'll meet up with us as soon as they can."

Kimiko's expression flickered to one of confusion, and she tried to step back. Raimundo held on tightly to her hands, his face perfectly serious. "Rai, wait. I'm not leaving without Jack. Do we really have to-"

"_Yes,"_ he interrupted firmly. "Neither of use wants to risk losing you again. You're weak, and waiting will mean a fight. I'm not taking that chance." Raimundo let go of her hands as her tense shoulders softened, and began to gather the blankets on the floor.

"I'll get my pack," she said softly, warily. Kimiko glanced towards the open door, where the sun had risen to the top of the sky. This didn't feel right at all, but she didn't have time to figure out what exactly was going on. She trusted Raimundo…what reason did she have not to? Kimiko began to gather what little belongings she had, and shoved them into her bag. At the last moment, she grabbed Jack's extra clothes, and placed them on top. Raimundo had left to see what he could find in the kitchen, and Kimiko soon followed him.

The Temple was eerily calm and silent as she made her way into the main building, where many of the corridors had crumbled and fallen. Raimundo was at the center of it all, where he and Clay had taken to storing the provisions. With a sense of urgency now surrounding her every move, Kimiko made her way quickly and silently, until she found Rai shoving the last of their food down into his own bag. He whirled around at the sound of her approaching, his eyes unexpectedly suspicious and cold. Yet at the sight of her standing in the doorway, his expression immediately softened, and he motioned her in.

"Did you get everything?" he asked her, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

There was a sudden crash somewhere in the Temple, and both of them froze. Kimiko's breath caught in her throat and Raimundo's body went cold as they paused in the kitchen, neither of them making a sound as they listened for what came next.

When the first shout sounded, Kimiko found that Raimundo had latched onto her arm, his face suddenly expressionless and cold. There was another crash, and Kimiko's palms flared up with heat from her element. Someone was in the Temple, and it sounded like they were breaking down what doors were left standing. She frantically looked up to Raimundo, whose expression now frightened her. "Raimundo," she whispered, wincing as another shout sounded, too muffled to be recognizable.

He glanced down at her, then tugged her through the door. "Come on," he whispered forcefully. Kimiko breathed in sharply as he dragged her, rather than led her, through the broken hallways. Why was he being rough with her? She yanked her arm back to her side and quickened her pace to keep with his long strides. Raimundo seemed to barely notice.

The next shout was all too clear.

"KIMIKO! KIMIKO, WHERE ARE YOU?"

She froze mid-step, her eyes wide in confusion. Cold began to seep through her body, numbing her thoughts. It was Jack.

_Then what is Raimundo…_

There was a whirl of movement to the side of her just as Kimiko opened her mouth to respond. Raimundo pushed her into the wall, caging her body in with his, one hand pressed firmly against her lips. His palm muffled her cry of protest and she tried to jerk out of his hold. His eyes scared her, and Kimiko found that she suddenly was unable to move.

"Kimiko," he whispered, his dark eyes bearing into hers. They were a mixture of anger and fear, urgency and uncertainty. "Kimiko, listen to me," he pleaded, yet his voice was firm. "I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to scare you. Please, just listen." Kimiko jerked forward against his arms, unable to take her eyes off of his, while Raimundo only pressed against her harder. "Kim, when I saw Chase's warriors, Jack was with them. He was giving them directions to the Temple, betraying us all. He never was good, he was with Chase the entire time. He wants you as his slave again, and he wants Clay and me dead! I was trying to protect you by not telling you, I was-" Raimundo cut off abruptly as another crash sounded, and Jack shouted again.

"Kimiko, please! I know you're there!"

At this, Raimundo pried her off the wall and wrapped a large, tan hand around her wrists, while the other stayed firmly over her mouth. "Don't listen to him, Kimiko!" Raimundo murmured in her ear, pushing her forwards through the rubble. "He's trying to trick you, he's going to hurt you, he's-"

Kimiko twisted her arms violently, breaking his hold on her as she jerked away from his hands. She firmly planted her feet in the cold stone and blocked the narrow stone passage with her body, not allowing him to go any further. "Raimundo," she pleaded, her lips trembling as she tried to whisper. "R-Rai! Please! What's going on? What is Jack doing? What did you do? Please!"

The next crash was entirely too near for Raimundo to handle. With a curse, he grabbed Kimiko by her waist and threw her through the nearest doorway with the use of his element. She crashed to the cold floor as his wind dissipated around her. Kimiko was too stunned to even move. Raimundo had used his element against her…to _hurt _her.

It was like he was no longer the same person. His face had grown cold again, almost merciless. He didn't even acknowledge her as he began to lift broken blocks with his element, until they were almost entirely sealed within the tiny room. Kimiko could do nothing but watch, her body frozen in panic and terror.

He turned on her then, and quickly advanced. Her body sprang into action as she tried to run for the opening, but he caught her easily. Kimiko resisted forcefully, but Raimundo had grown stronger than she had realized, and he easily wrapped his arms around her. She tried to summon her fire to her palms, but at the last second, she faltered. Kimiko couldn't hurt him, despite what he was doing.

_"Don't listen to him,"_ he said again, but his voice had changed. This time, it was a command.

"Kimiko, answer me! If you're with Raimundo, you can't trust him! Get away from him!"

Raimundo's arms tightened around Kimiko, immobilizing her. Yet, he remained silent to Jack's comment, his dark eyes slowly filling with rage.

Jack broke down another close door, and he let out an anguished laugh. "Kimiko, did he tell you what he did to me?" he called out, the sound of splintering wood surrounding him. "…Raimundo led me into an ambush. He led me straight into the arms of Chase's warriors, intending to get me captured and finished off. Did he tell you that he betrayed me? That he betrayed you? Just so that he could have you for himself again? HE TRIED TO HAVE ME KILLED!"

Raimundo's rough hand firmly covered Kimiko's mouth, and she began to struggle again. "Raimundo," she tried to whisper, her words muffled and her throat constricted, "Rai, you're hurting me!" He merely held onto her tighter.

"He's lying. Don't listen to him. He's lying." Kimiko stopped struggling for a moment, her body shaking as realization hit her.

It was easy to detect the lies now.

Just as Kimiko had begun to summon her element again, there was a loud crash in front of them. Smoke and dust filled the tiny room as Raimundo's barrier was knocked down, and a dark figure in the doorway stepped into the light. Raimundo had taken them both to the floor as the debris settled around them, caging her body against the stone. Jack's face was cold and hardened as he looked down at the two on the floor, his now unpitying eyes bearing into Raimundo's. Slowly, Raimundo released Kimiko and stood up, wind ruffling his hair wildly. She stared at them both, unable to move.

"Raimundo," Jack said, in a low, merciless voice Kimiko had never heard before. He took another step forward, and Kimiko was able to see for the first time the deep, bloody welts that lined his bare arms, neck, and chest. Raimundo's expression turned into one entirely filled with hate.

"…I challenge you to a showdown."

* * *

**((Review!))**


	16. Retribution

**Chapter 15- Retribution**

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The Temple was silent as Dojo came to a neat landing in the courtyard, sending a cloud of dust billowing over the deadened garden. Clay easily hopped off his back with a grin and looked around, expecting Kimiko and Jack to come meet him at any second. Instead, the Temple was eerily calm, and Clay felt a shiver run down his spine. Something was definitely wrong.

With a frown, he turned back to Dojo and unstrapped the large packs, filled with stolen food, off his back. The dragon immediately converted back to his smaller size, and trailed hesitantly after Clay. "Shouldn't they be out here by now?" he asked quietly, nervously glancing around the deserted grounds. Clay gave him a terse nod before swinging the packs up over his shoulder.

"Come on, Dojo…Somethin' ain't right here…Maybe they're somewhere in the Temple where we can't see them."

"Or maybe, they're sitting in the hands of Chase's warriors right now! Clay, this doesn't feel right…what if something happened while we were gone?"

Clay looked down at him grimly, then started walking briskly towards the Temple. "If that's the case, then we gotta go find out."

He entered the main room cautiously and looked around, but nothing seemed out of place since he'd left. A fire was still burning in its ring on the floor, its embers cheerfully popping in the silence. Slowly, Clay lowered his bags to the floor and looked around. There were no signs of false entry, or of foul play. Kimiko and Jack were simply…gone.

With a frown, he turned to leave, but not before a spattering of broken stone caught his eye by the doorway to the halls. His frown deepened and he walked to the doorway, but not before Dojo managed to slither up behind him and onto his hat. "I still don't like this," he grumbled, but he made no move to leave before Clay continued into the corridor.

They were in much worse shape than he remembered, and broken chunks of stone were strewn everywhere. And, here and there, he noted, Clay could see splatters of blood. He swallowed nervously and looked away, fearing the worse.

He soon reached the kitchen, and his eyes fell upon a discarded pack lying in the middle of the floor. There was a splash of blood on it, as if someone had picked it up and discarded it once again. Clay's body went cold, and he quickly opened it to find Kimiko's clothes hastily shoved in. Then, the pack slipped from his fingers, leaving a splash of red against his hands.

"The blood is fresh," Dojo murmured from above him. They were silent for a moment, and Clay simply stared at the pack on the floor.

Then, as if on cue, a low cry sounded from somewhere farther along in the Temple. Clay snapped his head back up and looked wildly around, searching for the source of the noise. "Dojo…did ya hear that?"

The dragon nodded uncertainly, and the cry sounded again. He dug his claws into Clay's hat, just as the young man took off running in the halls.

"Kimiko?" he shouted, nearly tripping over a fallen block of stone. The blood trail continued on, and he found himself following it. "KIMIKO! Lil' lady, are you in here?"

"_C-Clay? Oh, god, Clay! Help me!"_

He twisted around a corner at the sound of her voice, but it wasn't long before he came to a halt. Clay stood before a stone wall, a dead end. The halls were silent, and he felt Dojo rustling on top of him.

"Kim?" the dragon called hesitantly.

"_I'm in here!"_ she cried desperately back. _"Dojo, Clay! Get me out!"_ Her voice came muffled but audible through the stone, and Clay narrowed his eyes.

"Get back, I'll break it down. _EARTH!"_ With a powerful move, Clay shoved his body into the wall. Instead of resisting his force, the wall crumbled easily around him, sending a cloud of smoke into the air. Coughing, he stumbled through with Dojo, searching frantically for any sign of Kimiko.

At last, as the dust began to fall, he saw her. She had been forced up against an exposed pipe, her hands tied behind her back with a strange, metallic cord, and her feet bound as well. Angry scorch marks surrounded her entire body, as if she had tried desperately to get free. Her face lit up in relief as she saw him standing in the doorway, and she quickly began her struggles anew.

"Kim, what the hell-"

"Raimundo's going to kill Jack!" she burst out frantically, twisting her arms in the rope. "You were right, he came back, and Jack challenged him to a showdown! _GET ME OUT OF THIS GOD DAMNED THING!"_

Clay had been standing dumbfounded by the door, but as she shouted at him, he quickly sprang into action. He scrambled over to her and tried to undo the cords, only to find that they were burning hot to the touch, an effect of using her element in an attempt to free herself.

"Get out of the way, Clay!" Dojo snapped. He flopped down and began to untie her hands with his fire-resistant claws, while Clay went to work on her feet.

"Then why are you-"

"They didn't want me to try and stop them," Kimiko interrupted bitterly, squirming impatiently as they hacked at the cords. "I tried to fight them…to stop them…but they overpowered me and locked me in here. I couldn't follow them, they could be anywhere by now!"

She sprang to her feet as the last of the coils fell away, then tripped over them into Clay's arms. He caught her, but before he could set her on her feet, Kimiko grabbed his hand and began tugging him through the halls. "We have to stop them…they're going to kill each other! Jack can barely walk, what the hell is the matter with him? He knows Raimundo is too powerful for him to fight!"

Kimiko was stumbling herself already, and her back was screaming in protest, but she kept going. Dojo hurriedly slithered up beside her, trying to match her pace. "And what exactly do you plan on doing?" he snapped at her. "You're not exactly in a position to fight right now, either! Think of your injuries before you do something rash!"

She stopped suddenly and whirled around on him, her eyes deadly. "I'm _not_ going to let them hurt each other," she snapped angrily, crossing her arms. "I don't care what I have to do, and if you care even _remotely_ about saving the world, you'll help me save them first!"

Kimiko turned on her heels and marched out of the corridor and out of sight, leaving Dojo and Clay to stare at each other. With a sigh and a guilty look, Clay looked over at him. "You know what we have to do, don't ya?"

Dojo nodded tersely, and together, they slowly followed her out.

* * *

Kimiko leaned out over the side of Dojo, one hand shading her eyes as she struggled to look over the landscape. It was her first time flying in over a year, but she couldn't appreciate it. Instead, all she felt was a tremor of dread and anticipation at the bottom of her stomach.

_What if I'm too late?_

"I don't see 'em anywhere," Clay called from behind her. Kimiko sighed heavily and kept looking. They couldn't have gone too far in the hour she'd been left behind, but Kimiko knew it was more than enough time for Raimundo to finish Jack off if he really wanted to.

"Dojo, go down a little bit! I can't see anything from way up here!"

The dragon grumbled before descending a hundred feet, a glare fixed on the younger girl. "Did it ever occur to you that they don't _want_ to be found? They're not stupid, Kimiko!"

There was a sudden crackling of branches off to her left, and Kimiko jerked to attention as a massive tornado burst through a patch of dead trees, sending debris flying. Her heart caught in her throat as she saw a figure stumble from the falling branches into a clearing, just barely missing the rapid winds.

_Jack_.

"Dojo! There!" she shouted, her eyes wide in horror. Clay yanked her back against his chest as the dragon turned into a nosedive, sending them plummeting to the earth. Kimiko could see the two men in the distance now, and her heart fluttered madly inside of her. They were both in the clearing, and from what it looked like, Jack was on the defensive.

Dojo finally jerked to a stop, and Kimiko leapt off of his back. But, before she had even taken two steps, an arm curled around her waist and yanked her backwards.

"Kimiko…this ain't your fight," Clay said slowly. With confusion clear across her face, she turned around and stared at him, as Clay's hand wrapped around her upper arm.

"What are you doing, Clay?" she asked, her voice low. She tried to step away from him, but he held onto her tightly in an unbreakable grip. Kimiko looked up into his suddenly cold face, and she froze. "Clay, they're going to kill each other! We have to stop them!" she shouted at him angrily. Kimiko began to twist violently in his arms, but he barely even moved to contain her.

"Kim, this is the only way they're ever gonna to settle anythin' between them. It's not our place to interfere."

"NO!" she shouted at him again. "Clay, no!" Kimiko cried out in pain as she twisted her back the wrong way, sending sharp jolts down her spine.

"Don't you understand, Kim? They're fightin' over you!" Kimiko froze in his grasp, her eyes suddenly going wide in shock. Her legs gave out for a moment, and Kimiko sank to her knees, defeated.

Off in the distance, another funnel of wind began to form, and Kimiko could only choke as Clay's grip on her arm grew tighter.

* * *

The showdown had started, and already Jack was suffering. The terms had been simple: they would fight using whatever means possible, and the last one standing was the winner. Jack assumed that the man _not_ standing would most likely be dead, although he knew if it came down to it, he would not kill Raimundo….even if the other man would not show the same mercy to him. Jack had enough blood on his hands as it was.

The landscape hadn't changed for their fight, nor did any magic come to them like in showdowns of the old ages. They faced off, struck their stances, and began to fight.

Jack had held his ground in the beginning, but Raimundo was growing tired of fighting in hand to hand combat, while this was all Jack had to defend himself. After he managed to strike a few blows, Raimundo seemed to snap, and he summoned his element. Jack took one look at the wind in his hands, and knew he was in trouble.

Now, he was running for his life, and Raimundo knew it. He could hear the high whistle of wind behind him as Raimundo's attack picked up speed, and Jack could only put on an extra burst of speed. The edges of the tornado caught him at the last moment, sending Jack flying into the hard ground. He stifled a cry of pain as his wounds, both new and old, scratched along the rocky earth. His body was trembling, but Jack ignored it and scrambled to his feet. Overhead, he caught a glimpse of a green dragon cutting through the sky, but he had no time to process what it meant.

"What's the matter Spicer, giving up already?" Raimundo called behind him with a bitter laugh. Jack whirled on his feet to see the young man standing a few yards away, his hair whipping wildly in the wind around him. "…Because I'm not stopping until I watch the light leave your eyes!"

With a snarl, Jack threw himself at Raimundo, fighting against the hurricane-strength winds that came straight at him. "Fight like a man, damn it!" he shouted back at him. "You're only hiding behind your element!"

"Oh, am I?" Raimundo disappeared, and in a moment, he was suddenly in front of Jack. Before he could even move, Rai struck another fighting stance, and charged. Jack narrowed his eyes and managed to throw off his first punch, but it wasn't long before Raimundo broke down his defensive stance and kicked him squarely in the gut.

With the wind knocked out of him, Jack gasped and stumbled backwards, and Raimundo followed, his fists flying. Jack saw a blinding light as Rai punched him square in the mouth, and he crumpled to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood and tried to get back up, but his body screamed in pain. Raimundo walked directly in front of him with a cocky grin, resting his hands on his hips.

"Not so tough without your precious robots, are you?" Jack's eyes narrowed, and he lunged at Raimundo's legs. The warrior was caught off guard, and Jack snarled as he tackled him into the ground. Rai hit the rocks first as Jack launched a fist into his face, just able to make contact before a powerful gust of wind threw him off. Jack stumbled, but managed to remain standing, while Raimundo leapt to his feet. There was murder in his eyes as he wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth, and both slowly went into fighting stances.

They faced each other for a long moment, both breathing heavily as they waited for the other to make the first move. Even though Jack was clearly in worse shape, Raimundo was starting to get worn down from the constant use of his element. Jack saw a hint of exhaustion in his eyes, and grinned back.

"What's the matter, Pedrosa? Giving up already?"

Raimundo's eyes narrowed into a glare, and again he charged. Raimundo tried to punch him again, but Jack grabbed his fist in midair and sharply yanked it down, breaking his attack. He slipped under Raimundo's other flailing arm and managed to hit him in the side, directly in a pressure point he had often used against Kimiko. Rai choked and stumbled backwards, and Jack took his moment of hesitation to his advantage. He ran at Raimundo and swung his leg directly into his, catching him off balance. Before he had a chance to recover, Jack slammed his palms into his neck and gut, forcing him to the ground.

Choking, Rai hit the ground and rolled for a few times, before colliding with a rocky outcropping. There, he lay for a few seconds, the wind knocked out of him, before he struggled to get up. Jack calmly watched him from afar, his eyes narrowed in hate. He was breathing heavily now, and there was a bloody gash across his forehead. Jack could feel his limbs growing weaker with every passing second, and his clothes were soaked through with blood. He wasn't sure how much longer he could last like this, but he had to try. When he had asked for a showdown, he knew he was at a disadvantage, but there was nothing he could do. However, Raimundo was starting to slow down as well, and Jack knew he could at least hold his own…at least if Rai didn't use his element again.

He went into a fighting stance again as Raimundo slowly stood up, murder in his eyes. There was blood trickling from his nose and the corner of his mouth, and he made no move to clean it off. "I'm going to kill you," he snarled. As if on cue, his hair began to whip around his head as he summoned his element, and Jack felt his stomach drop. He could only stand and watch Raimundo as a swirling ball of wind appeared in his hands, laughing all the while. Wind picked up in the clearing around them, violently shaking the trees. Jack could feel it nipping at the back of his neck, and he knew he was in trouble.

Before he could move, Raimundo charged at him, thrusting the wind directly at his torso. It hit him with the force of a tornado in his chest, sending Jack flying backwards. For a few seconds, his body flew weightlessly through the air. Then, his back slammed into a rock, and he crumpled to the ground.

Jack couldn't move. From the position he was lying in and the pain in his limbs, he knew one of his arms was broken. His leg was bent underneath him, sending shooting pains all throughout his body. He let out a sharp gasp of pain and tried to get up, but it was too late. Raimundo was already upon him.

The wind picked him up once more, sending him whirling in the opposite direction. This time, Jack could not stifle his scream as he hit the ground violently. Dazed, Jack managed to get on his hands and knees, even as pain shot up through his arm. The world was spinning, and he could only helplessly stare up at the blood red sky. His heart was pounding as he heard Raimundo's footsteps slowly approaching him, and the same haunting laugh piercing the sky.

The Dragon of Wind paused by his side and looked over his beaten body, as if he were a predator stalking his prey. A smirk appeared on his lips, and Raimundo kicked Jack flat on his back while he screamed in pain. Then, Rai narrowed his eyes and slammed his foot down on his chest. Jack choked as blood bubbled out of his mouth, and tears watered in his eyes.

"Before I kill you," he whispered, though his voice was full of hate, "…know this. You will die a traitor and a nobody, and no one will remember your name, except for when it is known that _I _killed you. Your act may have fooled Kimiko, but you'll die being the heartless git you always were…and in time, she'll see just how big a mistake she was making. She's mine, and now, she always will be."

He pressed down harder, and Jack cried out as he felt something crack within him. Fighting through the pain, Jack managed to grit his teeth and glare up at him. "You're…wrong," he managed to gasp. "She'll never…forgive you."

Raimundo laughed again, and stepped off of him. "And that's where you're wrong," he whispered. He turned on his heels and began to stride away quickly from him, wind rushing faster and faster with his every step. Then, a few yards away, he stopped and raised his hands in the air. Wind began to whirl around them until a tornado grew from his fingertips, filling the air with a gruesome moan. The wind stayed the width of his palms, until he had a column twenty feet high swirling madly above him. Raimundo closed his eyes to concentrate, and the wind began to shape, until the tip was as sharp and pointed as a steel blade. He moved his hands downward, and the wind cracked like a whip around him.

With a sadistic grin on his face, Raimundo opened his eyes and stared directly at Jack. Their eyes met for one pitiful moment before Rai began to gloat in victory. "Die," he whispered, and released the wind.

* * *

And from her imprisonment, Kimiko watched in horror as Raimundo's final attack began to spiral down towards Jack. He was lying on his back, unable to move as the piercing wind flew directly towards his chest. "No," she whispered softly. "NO!"

She tore forward violently in Clay's grasp, her skin suddenly flooding with the heat of her element. He tried to hold onto her, and then, although she didn't know how, she broke free. Kimiko took off across the clearing as fast as she could, the barren landscape becoming a blur around her. There was a shout from behind as Clay yelled at her to stop, but she kept running, pain tearing at her every step. Her mind was numb with fear as she ran, and she could see nothing but the broken man in front of her. Raimundo's attack seemed to get stronger with every step she took, and Kimiko could hear nothing but the harsh moan of wind around her.

Kimiko couldn't breathe as she saw the wind coming faster and faster towards Jack, and somehow, she managed to put on a burst of speed. Her eyes frantically fixed onto Jack's face, and her heart froze as she watched his eyes close in defeat. His blood pooled around him, reflecting the brilliant red of the sky.

"_NO!"_

Kimiko screamed as she slid in front of Jack at the last second, hurling her body on top of his to protect him. She raised her palm and felt warmth flood her fingers, just as the violent winds bore down upon her. For a moment, the wind struck her skin like a thousand piercing needles, just before her fingers intensified in heat.

Fire burst from her hand and cracked around her, forming a dome above their bodies. Raimundo's attack hit the shield a split second later, and Kimiko cried out in pain as its sheer force pressed down upon her. The sharp light of the flames blinded her eyes before her defense broke his attack, sending a whirl of flames flying in every direction. Kimiko fell down across Jack, a sob catching in her throat as he wearily opened his eyes, and a weak smile crossed his bloody lips. Then, his eyes drifted close, and Kimiko choked.

Raimundo stared at her a few feet away, his lips parted in shock, and his body shaking. "K-Kimiko," he stammered softly. "I…didn't see you, I couldn't stop. I didn't mean-" He stopped abruptly as he stumbled towards her, his eyes wide. She had appeared out of nowhere…and by then, it was too late to stop his attack. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, but there was nothing he could have done to stop the wind. Kimiko didn't acknowledge him as he stepped behind her, and Raimundo could see her body shaking. Slowly, he reached out to put his hand on her shoulder.

"_What the hell is wrong with you?"_ she cried out, whirling around overtop of Jack. A wave of fire burst from her fingertips directly into Raimundo's stomach, sending him flying away from her. He yelped and hit the ground roughly, clutching his arm as an angry red burn flared up on his skin. Kimiko's eyes were bristling with rage and brimming with tears as she got to her feet, and Raimundo struggled to get to his. She stood protectively in front of Jack, almost daring him to try and go past her. "How could you, Raimundo? _WHY?_"

Raimundo stepped backwards in shock, uncomprehending as she advanced on him. "Jack saved my life, and you try to repay him by taking his? Why can't you just accept him? You know we're the only chance to save the world, and we need as much help as we can get! But instead you're forcing us apart over a petty grudge! You can't get over the fact that Jack bought me, even if it was to save my life. And what's more, you can't accept that I care for him as much as I cared for you! You're the most selfish, hateful bastard I've ever met!"

She was seething with anger, yet beyond her narrowed eyes, Raimundo could see the hurt in her expression. But instead of apologizing, his own face screwed up in anger, and he began to shout at her.

"How the hell am I supposed to feel, Kimiko?" he yelled angrily, wiping a trickle of blood from his face. "You were _bought_ by one of our worst enemies as a slave, and you hated him as much as we did! Do you know what it was like, worrying day after day if you were even alive? And what's worse, when we found out where you were, thinking about all the ways Spicer was using you? _I was out of my mind with fear for you!_ And when we rescued you, I was so happy! Things were supposed to go back to the way they were, but the first thing you wanted was _him!_ After all that I had done for you, you wanted the man who had made our lives a living hell since the day we met him! You barely even looked at me, after all we had been through! _HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL AFTER THAT?_"

His voice cracked on the last word, and Kimiko noticed that his eyes were beginning to tear up. "You wouldn't believe me, Rai," she whispered, shaking her head in agony. "You wouldn't believe me when I said Jack had changed…when I told you he had saved me. I owe him my life, Rai! Even Clay could accept him, but you just lashed out again and again…you want me to choose between him, or you and Clay…do you even know what _that's_ like? I wanted everything to go back to normal too, but we can't anymore! It was never going to be the same, whether Jack was with me or not!"

The fire burning all around them in the opening suddenly flared up, casting darkened shadows across both their faces. Raimundo angrily ran his hands through his hair as wind whipped it out of shape, but his eyes looked defeated. Slowly, he moved his gaze from the angry girl in front of her to the bloody Jack behind her, and his lips began to tremble.

"I didn't know what to do," he whispered dejectedly. His hands were beginning to shake as he looked back to Kimiko desperately, and for the first time, she saw pain in his expression. As he stumbled forwards towards her, Kimiko's body froze as she saw the face of the wounded comrade she had loved and lost, the man who had supported her through all the pain in her life and never complained, and the one friend who had ever really known her. Their eyes locked, and for the first time in weeks, the Raimundo she had once known was standing defeated in front of her.

"You were my only reason to keep going," he whispered. "And then, you wanted nothing to do with me, and everything to do with him. I see the way he looks at you." Raimundo suddenly could not meet her eyes, and he dropped his gaze. Kimiko felt something rising in her throat, and her body grew cold. "…And I see the way you look at him. Kimiko…tell me. Do you…love him?"

She couldn't speak. Raimundo finally raised his eyes back to hers, only to see that Kimiko stood trembling before him, her eyes wide. Her fists, which had been clenched in anger, slowly released, and her shoulders dropped. With pain and tears in her eyes, she met his gaze, and Raimundo felt something break within him.

"Yes, Rai," she finally whispered. Kimiko couldn't tear her eyes away from his, even as pain and betrayal flooded them. She wanted to stop, run into his arms like she had done so many times before, and tell him that this was all just a bad dream, and that they would soon be waking up together, happy and safe in the mountains. But, it was too late. No matter what she did now, there would be no returning to the past. Feeling her own heart breaking, she took a step backwards and whispered, "I…do."

Raimundo's composure broke entirely. He sharply turned away from her, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to stop the pain. Heat flooded his veins in shame and anger, and he knew it wouldn't be long until he lost control of himself again. Raimundo couldn't think, or even breathe, and he knew that he could stay here no longer. "Then know this, Kimiko," he murmured slowly, pulling the Wings of Tenabi out of his pocket. With a flick of his wrist, he activated them and clutched the handle tightly, but made no move to fly just yet. Kimiko could only watch, dumbfounded, as he raised his head to the blood-red skies. Then, Raimundo slowly turned back to her, and closed the short distance between them. She remained frozen to the spot as he gently clutched her chin, and raised her face up towards him. Blue met brown, and Kimiko felt his pain begin to consume her.

"I…will _never_ stop loving you."

In one quick move, Raimundo pressed his lips down to hers, and wrapped his other arm around her waist to pull her close. She tasted the saltiness of both their tears on her lips and his blood from the battle, and smelt the familiar musky scent of his clothes. Her shocked eyes slid closed for a moment, and she reached out to cup his face in her hand. Yet, before her fingers even touched his skin, Raimundo broke away. Their eyes met for one last moment before Raimundo threw the wings onto his back, and took off into the sky. Within seconds, he was gone.

Stunned, uncomprehending, and weak from his touch, Kimiko could only stare at the spot where he had just been standing, and tremble. She felt her legs give out beneath her before she crashed to the hard ground on her knees, staring hopelessly up at the sun.

"Raimundo," she whispered weakly. Her vision blurred until she could see nothing in front of her, and a sob broke out from her throat. Tears silently ran down her face as she swayed back and forth, unable to get to her feet. Raimundo was gone. Simply…_gone. _And it was all because of her.

A heavy hand landed on her shoulder, and she managed to turn her head to see Clay staring at her in concern, with Dojo waiting right behind him. Jack's unconscious body was already spread across his back, and Kimiko choked back another sob.

Clay gently lifted her into his arms, and she didn't resist. Her body remained limp and weak like a rag doll as he slowly brought her over to Dojo, and managed to set her onto his back. "Come on," he mumbled, his face downcast. Kimiko couldn't look at him, and could only feel a dull ache in her veins. "We can't stay here…soldiers are sure gonna come lookin' for us after all of that…they know where we are now." Kimiko managed to nod back weakly, and Clay climbed on behind her. Slowly, Dojo took off into the air, and they began to fly up into the darkened clouds.

Exhaustion and pain weighed heavy upon her shoulders, and Kimiko could only numbly stare into the distance. The last thing she saw before her eyes closed was the Xiaolin Temple, illuminated in the light of the blood red sun, and surrounded by Chase's warriors.

**((Review!))**


	17. Allies

**Chapter 16- Allies**

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Kimiko awoke to the sun shining softly on her face, a gentle breeze washing over her, and the pleasant drone of human voices all around her.

Yet, as she let her eyes wander around the unfamiliar room, Kimiko felt no fear. Yes, she had absolutely no idea where she was, but this no longer bothered her. After all, if she were in trouble, she would have woken up chained in a damp cell somewhere, and not in a soft bed. Her body felt heavy in exhaustion and confusion, and as the previous day's events washed over her, Kimiko felt deep shivers run down her spine. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her body into a painful ball, trying to stop the memories and emotion from breaking free. Yet, images of Raimundo's hurt-filled eyes, Jack's broken body, and Clay's concern filled her thoughts and wore her down, until her mind was too exhausted to focus on it any longer. It was only then that she allowed herself to comprehend her surroundings, and let her current predicament take hold in her mind.

It appeared she was lying in some sort of hospital cot, in an area sectioned off by thick, white curtains. With a frown, she threw off the thin sheet covering her to find her body washed, professionally bandaged, and only covered in a loose cotton gown. Her face paled slightly as memories of waking up in a similar fashion a month ago overwhelmed her, and Kimiko pushed those thoughts away. She didn't want to think what had happened to her while she was unconscious, or even how she had gotten here.

As she swung her legs to the stone floor, Kimiko held her head in her hands and took one deep breath. Outside her curtained area, she could hear gentle human voices and sounds of content. The sharp smell in the air of blood, ointment, and disinfectant made her believe that she was in some sort of medical ward, but where? It was obvious that she was somewhere safe and not captured by warriors, but Kimiko hadn't had contact with other humans in a year. Bracing herself, Kimiko lifted her head and got to her feet, only to see a chair by her bedside. A fresh set of Xiaolin robes was waiting for her. With a sigh of relief, she pulled off her gown and put them on. A simple pair of wooden sandals rested beneath the chair, and Kimiko wasted no time in preparing herself to leave.

Cautiously, she pulled one of the heavy curtains aside to see that she was indeed in some sort of infirmary. Beds just like hers lined the walls with curtains surrounding them, and she could see bandaged men lying in most of them. A group of nurses, mostly women wearing the same white robes, scuttled from bed to bed. Kimiko shrank back against the curtains and stared for a moment, trying to take in the large stone room. It looked vaguely familiar, and Kimiko was sure she had been here before. The design looked like the inside of the larger rooms in the Xiaolin Temple, but it was impossible that they were still there.

"Ah, Miss Tohomiko, you're awake!" Kimiko jumped and whirled around on her feet, her eyes narrowed as a harried looking woman scurried towards her. Kimiko made no attempt to move any farther as the woman dropped into a low bow before her, anxiety clear on the stranger's face. "If you would please return to your bed, Miss Tohomiko, we weren't expecting you to rise so early, and I've been given strict orders to-"

"Where am I?" Kimiko interrupted, her voice sharp as she looked around the room again. The woman looked both confused and uncomfortable, and Kimiko could tell that this stranger wanted nothing more than for her to quietly get back into the cot.

"Miss, please, in case you do something rash, I've been given orders not to- Miss Tohomiko, please! Come back, you still need your rest!"

Kimiko turned her back on the woman, and swiftly began to make her way towards the nearest door. The nurse kept continuing to call after her, but Kimiko paid her no attention. As she walked, she tried to ignore the others in the hospital bay around her, but she soon found that their eyes were all fixated on her. She picked up small snippets of their conversations as she passed, and Kimiko grew even more unnerved.

"-bought by the Heylin warriors-"

"-they say Chase tortured her for weeks-"

"-the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire, do you think she's our only-"

"-she should be dead by now-"

"-that girl's the only hope we have-"

Kimiko's face grew pale, and she sprinted the last few steps out of the hospital. The humans behind her continued to stare, and she felt their eyes burning holes through her bandages.

What the hell was going on?

Clay had to have brought her to a safe place, but where was she? Kimiko knew she wasn't in any town or city, as they all had Chase's warriors governing them, but there had to be a lot of humans here. And how did they know who she was? Few humans-let alone free ones- knew of the Xiaolin Warriors' existence and of their power. Most of the population had never even believed in magic- at least, until Chase turned the sky red and toppled half the civilization on this planet into the dust. Their comments unnerved her, but perhaps it was just because she was used to hiding and having her identity unknown.

The stone hallway she had entered after the infirmary ended in a set of wooden doors, carved with the symbols of the four elements. For a moment Kimiko went cold, before she reached out and traced her fingertips over the symbol for air. Something caught in her throat, and Kimiko hastily had to step away. As she admired them one last time, she realized that she had seen these before in the Xiaolin Temple. The frown deepened on her face, and Kimiko reached out a hand again to push them open.

Yet, before she had even touched the handle, the door swung open and Kimiko stumbled backwards as a large figure stood in the way. Light poured in all around him, and Kimiko had to squint for a moment before she recognized who it was. _Clay._

Within seconds he had engulfed her in a bear hug, holding her as tightly as he could without hurting her back. Kimiko wrapped her arms around him in turn, and for a few silent minutes, the two did nothing but hold onto each other. Kimiko could feel something rising in her throat again, but before she could say anything, Clay began to speak.

"Kim…you don't know how sorry I am," he whispered, his hold on her growing tighter. "I should 'ave talked to Rai more…I could have stopped him from doin' all this. I thought it would be best if he figured things out on his own and let 'em be, I-"

"Clay, it wasn't your fault," she murmured back. Kimiko released him for a moment so that she could meet his gaze, though her own expression remained emotionless. "Raimundo chose his own path. There was nothing we could have done to stop him. What's done is done…and it'll be up to him if he ever decides to come back."

Clay still looked downcast, but before he had another chance to speak, Kimiko interrupted him again. "Clay, where's Jack?"

At this, the young man sighed heavily, and reached out to take her hand. "He's…fine. Rai did a pretty nasty number on him, and he won't be movin' or fightin' any time soon, but he'll live. It's just gonna take some time to get him back to where he was. Jack's been through a hell of a lot more than we have since we got 'em outta Chase's."

Kimiko felt the color draining out of her face as she stared at him, and she tried to jerk her hand out of his grasp. "I need to see him," she said hollowly. "He could be-"

"He's in good hands Kim. Don't worry. Besides, he's still out cold, I just went to check on 'im."

While Kimiko anxiously looked back towards the infirmary, Clay put his hand behind her back and gently prodded her forward. "Come on. There's something I want to show you." She hesitantly nodded and followed him forward, just as Clay pushed open the doors to the outside.

An entirely new world greeted her just beyond the entranceway, assaulting all of her senses at once. As she tried to adjust to the light and the overwhelming scene in front of her, Kimiko felt her knees go weak. It appeared that she had just stepped into an army's headquarters. She stood frozen in shock as her gaze wandered over thousands of humans spread out before her, all moving and talking at once. Humans dressed in uniforms bearing a crest that looked much like the four elements strode past her, children ran chasing each other while their mothers scolded, men carrying packs of supplies and weapons hurried away, and what appeared to be soldiers trained with swords just a short distance away.

In the three years since Chase had taken over the world, she had never seen so many humans who weren't trying to kill her together at once. A weak smile crossed her lips, but it quickly extinguished once she realized that the humans were starting to take notice of her and Clay. She quickly turned back to him, a mild expression of shock on her face.

"Where are we?" she managed to ask him. Clay chuckled, and squeezed her hand.

"Master Monk Guan's Temple. It's the last one standing…and the last safe place on earth. Rai and I found out about it when we were out lookin' for you, but it was too much of a distance to make without Dojo. Humans from all over the world have been gatherin' here…They're buildin' an army to take down Chase."

Stunned, Kimiko could only stare out at the mass of people, many of who were now eyeing the two with curiosity and whispering among themselves. Clay noticed the crowd's reaction, and a slight smile crossed his lips.

"They've been waitin' for us, Kim," he said gently. "They know we're the Xiaolin Dragons…and they know that we're the only ones that can bring Chase down."

Kimiko frowned and turned back to face him, confusion written across her face. "How?" she murmured, furrowing her eyebrows. Clay merely smiled, and began to tug her along besides him.

"My sister."

* * *

Jesse looked the same as when Kimiko had last seen her, though perhaps her face was a little more hardened from the wars. Her blonde hair was pulled back from around her face, and although she looked tired, her expression was pleasant. When Clay led her into his sister's room, Kimiko stayed hesitantly behind, although Jesse immediately got to her feet. She was wearing the same strange uniform with the four elements on it, and Kimiko stared at it curiously until Jesse extended her hand.

"Ah, Kimiko. Clay's jus' been tellin' me all you've been through. Glad to see you're okay."

Kimiko took her hand and shook it uncertainly, while her eyes wandered up to Clay. He was beaming, though perhaps it was only because he was seeing his sister for the first time in three years. Kimiko couldn't blame him; if she had any family left after all of this, she would be ecstatic too.

"Jesse…I can't believe you're here. We thought the worst after we lost contact in the beginning,"

"Eh, Chase tried to do me in a few times, but it's gonna take a lot more than a few cats to bring me down." Jesse shrugged and caught Clay's eye, who was now leaning up against the door. His grin widened, and he reached out to rumple his sister's hair.

"Jesse's the one who organized all of this," he told Kimiko, while Jesse swatted his hands away. "She knew that we were the only ones who had a shot at Chase, so she got her girls together an' set off gatherin' supporters. She's spent the last few years lookin' for us and buildin' up a resistance…most of the rebellions in the last few months have happened thanks to my sister."

"I knew y'all were still out there somewhere, it was jus' a matter of time till I found ya," Jesse said smugly. "An' low and behold, Clay dropped into the middle of my camp last night…though I wasn't expectin' y'all to be so beat up."

The corners of Kimiko's lips twitched into a smile, though her eyes were hollow. Clay noticed and immediately put his hand back onto her shoulder.

"Jesse's already sent out a few of her warriors to look for Rai," he said gently. "We're gonna find him and bring him back. But for now, it's time to get back on our feet. Jesse has her best healers workin' on you and Jack, and we'll be back to trainin' in no time. We might actually have a chance to take down Chase if we stick here for a while."

Kimiko looked up at him slowly, her expression unreadable. "Chase won't find us here?" she asked softly, her eyes wandering between the two siblings. Jesse nodded, and the proud grin on her face broadened.

"Chase abandoned this Temple right after he destroyed it…like your Xiaolin one. Plus, it's the most difficult one gettin' into. We've been here for a year and he hasn't even tried to invade us! I don't even think he knows we exist."

Kimiko finally let a small smile grace her lips, though she still looked shaken. "I can't believe this," she murmured at last, brushing her hair behind her ears. "All this time…we've been on the run and in constant danger…And there's been a safe haven just waiting for us. We could have taken Chase down years ago."

"Kim…there was no way we could have known," Clay said slowly. "Jesse only got here a year ago, and we couldn't have made it here undetected if we didn't have Dojo. It's a long journey...There was nothin' we could have done."

Kimiko broke away from him, and looked towards Jesse, who looked mildly uncomfortable.

"All that matters is that you're here now, Kim," she said gently. "We have the means to take on Chase's army…And y'all have the strength to defeat Chase. We can still save the world. Like Clay said, there was nothin' we could have done before. But we need you now."

Kimiko took a deep breath and pursed her lips into a straight line. With her eyes narrowed, she looked up to Clay, and nodded.

"I'm personally going to kill Chase."

* * *

By the time Kimiko was able to escape from meeting the rebels, shaking hands, attending strategy meetings and taking a tour of the Temple, she was thoroughly exhausted. Yet, instead of returning to the room Jesse had appointed for her to live in, Kimiko found herself heading towards the infirmary, although her companions had told her that it was no good. Ignoring the protests of the gentle nurses and the murmured rumors that followed her, Kimiko walked through the silent hospital ward until she reached a closed-off section at the end.

With a deep breath, she tugged door open, and stepped into the slightly darkened room. Then, her breath caught in her throat.

Jack, pale and bloodless, awaited her on the hospital bed. As she slowly shut the door behind her, Kimiko could not help but let her eyes go wide. His bare chest was covered with bandages from his neck to his waist, and one of his arms lay across his chest in a sling. Deep, bloody welts lined what she could see of his arms and legs, and there was a large purple bruise across his shoulder. A blackened eye and more bruises across his cheeks obscured his white face, while a cut extended on the side of his lip. As Kimiko approached the bed, she noticed an IV with blood and another clear liquid dripping into his veins.

With her body trembling, Kimiko sat down in a chair by his side silently, unable to stop the memories of the fight from returning to her. Jack remained unmoving, and she slowly reached up to take his hand in hers. His skin was ice cold, though the beeping of machines around him reassured her that his heart was steady. Her lips trembled as her eyes fell across his mottled face, and she felt tears welling in her eyes, forcing her to look away.

_I did this to you._

"Kim…iko?"

She jerked her head up at the sound of her name, to see Jack weakly peering at her. Kimiko's eyes widened in shock, and she quickly scooted closer in her chair. "Jack," she whispered, clutching his hand tightly. "Jack, it's okay, we're safe now. No one's going to hurt you, I'm here now, just-"

"I was…worried about you."

Kimiko looked at him uncertainly, before a weak smile crept across her face. "About me? You run straight into battle with a Xiaolin warrior when you can barely even walk, almost die, and you were worried about me?" Jack attempted to nod, and Kimiko had to choke back a bitter laugh.

"You're…more important…than I am."

She tensed and looked away at his comment, her expression growing sterner. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the beeping of the machine behind her, and she sighed. Turning back to Jack, she shook her head and leaned down closer to him. She could see the pain in his eyes.

"Jack…why did you do this? You knew Raimundo was stronger than you are! Why couldn't you have just left each other alone, and let things get better in time? I can't believe that you were willing enough to imprison me, and go fight Rai over me…and don't try to tell me that I'm more important, because that's not true. You almost died, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Kimiko could feel tears burning at the corners of her eyes, and she angrily wiped them away. She wanted to slap him, or do something to knock some sense into him, but Jack was already shaking his head forlornly. He reached up with his good hand to intertwine their fingers, while his weary red eyes met blue.

"You don't understand, Kim," he whispered, struggling to speak against his exhaustion. "It wasn't just about…you. It was pride, it was jealousy, it was…love. We both couldn't accept each other…we were from different worlds. No amount of talking…would have changed that. I needed to show Rai that I wasn't going anywhere…I thought that if we fought and I won, he would accept me."

"You're an idiot."

"I…know."

"Rai would have listened to me eventually. You wouldn't be hurt, and Raimundo wouldn't be missing if you had just taken time."

"Perhaps, but we would never have been…allies. Rai would never…trust me. He can't…forgive me for buying you."

She sighed in exasperation, knowing that no matter what she said, Jack would argue with her. "I don't know what to think anymore," she said softly. "You're hurt and in so much pain, and Raimundo is missing. Clay feels guilty for letting everything happen, and no one knows what to do now."

Jack squeezed her hand in reassurance, and then reached up to lay his palm against her face. "Kim," he said gently, "I'm going to make things right. Everything. Chase, the world….Rai." His voice began to slide into obscurity, and Kimiko knew he was trying to fight his exhaustion. With a tiny smile, she took his hand from her cheek and laid it back down against the blankets.

"Shh…I'll forgive you in the morning. Now, just get some rest, I'm sure you're going to have an exciting day with doctors tomorrow. You'll be up and running in no time."

His eyes slowly slid shut in defeat, but a smirk remained upon his face. "You don't believe me."

"I do, but you're trying to steal my job. I'm the Xiaolin Warrior who can set balance in the world again, right? You're just a kid who likes to play with robots."

Jack managed to smile one last time

"A kid who saved your ass more than once."

Kimiko chuckled, and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "And now I'm returning the favor."

* * *

The throne room was silent, cold, and held the sense of impending danger. Omi waited uncertainly beside his master's chair, while a full court of warriors, servants, and villains stood below. Katnappe stood on Omi's other side, though this time she was completely silent. Her face was pale and appearance unkempt, and her hands kept shaking. Omi almost felt sorry for her, but considering what she had done to his friends, he could feel no sympathy.

Chase Young himself stood towering over the gathered crowd, his face icy cold and expressionless. Omi could not allow himself to look at him; it was worse than when Chase was angry. At times like these, Omi had no idea what Chase was about to do, and that was more frightening than his dragon form. Yet, before Omi had a chance to figure out why Chase had called them all here, the warrior began to speak.

"Three years have passed," he called out, his voice matching the empty expression on his face, "since I defeated the Dragon of Water, and took my rightful place on this throne. Three years since I crushed the world, and enslaved the masses to do my bidding. Three _years_ since I created an army unmatched by any in the world."

Omi felt his body go cold, and he quickly looked down at his paws. One young warrior in the back row was visibly trembling now, and Omi could feel Katnappe anxiously doing the same. His gaze lingered on the warrior for a minute, whose head was down. With the helmet on that Chase required his warriors to wear, he could barely see the soldier's face. Yet, as he watched, Omi was surprised to see a pair of defiant green eyes glinting underneath the metal. He craned his neck forward, but as Chase began to speak again, he quickly fell back.

"And yet," Chase continued on, his eyes glinting in malice. "Why is it that in three years, simple _children_ have been able to evade me and pose a threat to my empire? KATNAPPE!"

The young blonde woman besides Omi jumped a little, and she instantly crashed to the stone floor on her knees. "Y-yes, your highness," she stammered, bowing as low as she could. Omi could see the fear in her eyes. Chase turned on her, and began to stalk towards her. Omi returned his gaze to the young warrior in the back, but he could no longer see his eyes.

"You were in charge of catching the last of the Xiaolin warriors, were you not? A simple task…to catch three teenagers who didn't stand a chance against the warriors and resources I gave you. Is this true?"

Katnappe squeezed her eyes shut, and tried not to let her fear show in her voice. "Yes, your highness."

"Get up."

Reluctantly, the woman got to her feet and stood before him, unable to meet his eyes. Omi saw the look on Chase's face, and turned away before it was too late.

_Crack._ With a powerful blow, he reached out and struck Katnappe as hard as he could. She let out a cry and crumpled to the floor, holding her flaming cheek in her hand. Yet, Chase continued to advance on her as the woman frantically tried to scramble away.

"You have failed me," he snarled. "Get out of my sight!"

Omi tried to look away as the woman fled the room, and the warriors looked on with indifference. He curled his tail between his legs as Chase stalked back to his throne, and sat down.

In the last few months, something had begun to change within Chase. When Omi had first fallen to him, Chase had been strict and demanding, but he had been a leader. He knew how to use his powers to rule the world, and as much as Omi despised him, he had never been afraid. Yet, now it appeared Chase was beginning to snap. He had become cruel and tyrannical, punishing and hurting anything and anyone that disobeyed him. Omi had felt his wrath more than once, and now he could think of nothing else than how to escape him.

"Omi."

The young cat winced and dropped into a bow on his front paws, while cold rushed through his veins. "Yes, my lord."

"Your cowardly friends seemed to have slipped through my fingers again. I had all three of them in my castle, and yet they managed to disappear right out from me. And now, word has reached me that Jack Spicer has escaped as well. Why is it that they keep managing to narrowly evade me?"

Omi uncomfortably looked down at his paws, and tried not to squirm. "I…don't know."

Chase's lips curled into an evil smirk, and Omi felt shivers run down his spine. "Then we soon shall find out." The warrior looked out at the crowded room, his eyes still glinting with malice. Dread settled in the pit of Omi's stomach, and he could only hopelessly sit by Chase's side as he began to speak once again.

"My fellow warriors," he called, raising his face into the light. "For three years, I have conquered the earth and faced no opposition! Darkness will rule the land for all time to come, and I shall lead those worthy to serve me into my domain! Yet, my empire still faces one last threat, one that I have not been able to extinguish. Three children who believe they can defeat me still walk the earth, no matter how many times I have tried to kill them.

Omi's gaze helplessly searched over the crowd of expressionless faces, until he found the one warrior again. Although he was keeping his composure steady, Omi could see anger in his green eyes. Their gaze seemed to connect for a moment, and Omi was unnerved to find that the young warrior did not immediately look away like the others did. Then, slowly and unmistakably, he winked.

_No. It can't be._

"…Now is the time for their demise! No longer will I sit by and let these fools challenge my rule! We will scour the earth for them, leaving no village, no mountain, no earth untouched! We will destroy every rebel, anyone who attempts to stand against me! I will purge this earth of all the scum unfit to walk among my allies…and I will succeed. The Xiaolin Warriors will die by my hands!"

The crowd erupted into cheers as Chase got to his feet and a smirk etched across his face. While his haunting laugh filled the air, Omi desperately looked again for the warrior, his heart pounding. He felt sick inside as he frantically looked around the room, but it was too late. The warrior was gone. Defeated, Omi shrunk back against the throne, and tried to stop his growing fear.

* * *

For the first time in weeks, fire blazed from Kimiko's fingertips. Her expression was unreadable as she carefully circled around the training area, never taking her eyes off of her opponent. From across the yard, Clay watched her, a smug grin on his face. Kimiko paused, and seconds later, charged towards him.

With a crash, a boulder shot up from the earth in front of her, blocking the meager blast of fire Kimiko had shot at him. But, instead of swerving out of the rock's way, Kimiko leapt up onto it, and threw another wave of fire at Clay. He managed to just barely pull another rock from the earth before she bounded onto that one, and jumped over his head. As Clay whirled around to retaliate, Kimiko was already in a fighting stance behind him, a grin on her face.

"Jeez Clay, you're getting rusty!"

He scowled at her, and the earth under her feet began to shake violently. She looked down in surprise as another boulder shot up underneath her, and just barely managed to jump off before it threw her. She crashed down onto the hard ground and rolled to her feet, sending another wave of fire at him. This time, Clay could not escape, and Kimiko grinned in satisfaction as he ducked behind one of his rocks. The tip of his hat was singed.

She had never felt so alive, even though the weight of Jack's injuries and Raimundo's disappearance weighed heavily on her mind. Two weeks had passed since Clay had brought them to Master Monk Guan's Temple, and the three were living in comfort and silence. For the first time in weeks, Kimiko, Clay, and Jack were treated to nourishing meals, soft beds, and the luxury of training like they used to. They were safe…and thriving.

The rebels, who had skilled nurses and healers, treated both Kimiko and Jack for the injuries they had acquired over the past month. While Kimiko knew she would live with the scars on the back for the rest of her life, her wounds were not infected, and she could move again with little pain. After the first few days, she refused to return to the infirmary, much to the agitation of the nurse Clay had asked to keep a watch over her.

Jack, on the other hand, had a much harder time. Raimundo had left him with an assortment of injuries that left him in constant pain, and made it difficult to move. Although he had improved drastically over the last few days, he was in no way able to train or fight like Kimiko and Clay. Every few hours, he had to return to the infirmary to get his bandages changed, and to have his fractured arm checked on. It took him a week and a half to be able to walk again and to be able to sleep with Kimiko outside of the infirmary, but his body was still weak. Kimiko herself knew he was still suffering…and there was nothing she could do about it.

Day after day, the three spent their time training or talking with Jesse and the other rebels. The two Xiaolin Warriors began to perfect their techniques once again while Jack watched on. At first, it was unnerving for Kimiko to use her element in such large quantities, but soon she was fighting against Clay with almost unmatched strength. Their training sessions kept attracting crowds of humans to watch, and within a week, the two had become something of a legend.

Today was no exception. As Clay grudgingly admitted defeat, the rebels watching from a distance began to disperse. Kimiko paid no attention to them, and instead went to put out the small fires she had caused. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jesse walking towards them, but thought nothing of it until she stopped in front of Clay. Kimiko heard them conversing in low voices, and she immediately turned around.

"Jesse…is something wrong?"

The two looked over to her, and as Kimiko saw the strained expression on Clay's face, she knew something was amiss. Quickly, she abandoned the flames she had been putting out and walked over to them, her anxiety growing with each step. Jesse and Clay looked at each other, and sighed.

"We need to speak in private, lil' lady," Clay said slowly. "Come on, Jesse…may have some news."

Confused, she nodded and began to follow the two back towards the temple. Jack, who had been watching the battle from farther back, quickly moved to catch up with them. Although pain shot up in his body with every step he took, Jack reached the trio in just a few moments. He reached out to grab Kimiko's hand, and squeezed it tightly. Unsure of what was going on, Kimiko smiled weakly, and squeezed back.

Inside Jesse's room, Jack and Kimiko sat together, while Clay paced anxiously back and forth behind them. Jesse, sitting at a large desk, pulled a large envelope out and placed it before them.

"As y'all may or may not know," she said slowly. "I've managed to get a few of my warriors on th' inside of Chase's castle. They've been there actin' like his soldiers for about a month, but they haven't been able to get a lot of information to us. Chase keeps to himself mostly, and only deals with his lead generals for fightin' and controllin' the world, and such."

Behind Kimiko, Clay had stopped pacing and was looking at Jesse intently. A moment of silence passed between the two, and Jesse sighed.

"Now, we haven't been able to get much out of 'em, but I just got a report this mornin'. Apparently a guard not connected to my boys was caught tryin' to smuggle out a Shen Gong Wu…Soldiers here and there try to take 'em all the time, and they're just given a nasty punishment and sent back to the ranks. News hardly ever gets to Chase either, he's too important to deal with a lil' attempted break in. Now normally, this isn't anythin' special…but my warriors managed to get a picture of th' guy, and I think y'all need to see it."

She slid the envelope up on the desk, though no one moved to take it. Finally, Clay walked around Kimiko and grabbed it while the two sat on in silence. With shaking hands, he ripped open the top and pulled out a single photograph.

Immediately, his body went rigid, and the picture fluttered to the floor. Alarmed at his reaction, Kimiko quickly stooped to pick it up, with Jack right behind her. Dreading what she might find, she turned it over in her hands, and a gasp escaped her throat.

Raimundo, a wide slash across his face and dripping with blood, stared back at her.

* * *

The night was silent as Jack pried his arms away from the warm body of Kimiko sleeping next to him, and tucked the blanket closer around her. In the light of the red moon, he quickly changed into a durable set of clothes and grabbed his pack. Earlier in the day, once the shock of seeing Raimundo was over, he had snuck into the weaponry and grabbed a few daggers, as well as a few of his own inventions. It seemed that these rebels had liberated quite a few shipments of his goods in the past few months, and Jack easily helped himself to the capsules that had bound him only a few days ago. These, along with a few rolls of bandages, some food and water, and another set of clothes, waited for him in the pack.

Once he was ready to go, he kissed Kimiko gently on the forehead, and left without looking back. It was better that she didn't know where he was going; after all, with injuries like his, Jack shouldn't have been travelling anywhere, nevertheless into the lair of his greatest enemy. He swiftly made his way down the darkened hallways and into the courtyard, where the night guards remained on watch. Silently, he snuck across the yard until he reached another part of the temple. A door, with the carving of a dragon upon it, waited just before him. He quickly looked both ways before pushing it open, and stepping inside.

As the door creaked shut behind him, the occupant of the room shot up from the elaborate cushions he had been sleeping on, and hastily looked around.

"W-what's going on?" the dragon said sleepily, rubbing his eyes. At the sight of Jack standing before him, the dragon scooted backwards and stared at him in confusion. "Jack? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

With a grim smile and pleading eyes, Jack stepped forward into the light.

"Dojo…I need your help."

**((Review!))**


	18. Threshold

**((A/N: I am a horrible person for not updating in over a year. I am also a college student, managing two jobs, and trying to write a book. I also like to make a lot of excuses.**

**Thank you, again, to everyone who puts up with my nonsense and sparse updates. Your reviews really do keep me writing, and I appreciate all the feedback, good and bad, that you throw my way.**

**That being said, please REVIEW so I don't wait another year to update! Enjoy!))**

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**Chapter 17- Threshold**

Raimundo bit back a groan as he hit the stone floor of his cell, the impact sending harsh vibrations through his bones. Behind him, the warriors who had thrown him there were leaving, save one of the captains. Raimundo struggled to turn over onto his side, and looked up at the older gentleman now looming over him.

"It's lucky I like you, Diego," he said, shaking his head. Raimundo, of course, had given them a fake name as soon as he infiltrated the fortress. "Otherwise, I might've had to report you to his majesty for breaking into his Shen Gong Wu. What on earth drove you to do that?"

"I just…wanted to see if they were real," Raimundo lied, his voice wavering convincingly. "I've never seen…Shen Gong Wu before. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"You're a smart kid, Diego. But stay out of trouble, or next time you'll get a lot worse than fifty lashes. Master Chase doesn't take kindly to soldiers who disobey him. Ever since that whole fiasco with the Xiaolin Dragons, he'll kill anyone he wants if he's in a bad mood."

Raimundo managed to nod apologetically, and the older captain left him in silence. The doors of his cell slammed shut, and he knew he was locked in.

He had to get out, tonight. Raimundo had been dumb enough to come here on his own, without any protection. It was easy enough to knock out a guard in one of the villages and steal his clothes, but once he was in Chase's lair, things had got entirely out of hand. Luckily, Chase barely paid any attention to the lower soldiers, but he had come dangerously close to revealing himself today.

The last time Raimundo had broken into Chase's castle, he had Clay with him. They knew exactly where to go and how to disguise themselves. Now, Raimundo was all alone and out of ideas. It had been a horrible plan to come here in the first place, but he had been full of hot air, angry with himself for hurting Kimiko and ruining the only chance he had with her.

Now, it was too late to make amends. He was stuck in the middle of Chase's fortress, surrounded by guards at every turn. It had taken him days to get into this mess, and likely weeks to get out. He didn't have that time; Chase was launching a massive attack on the rest of the world, and Raimundo was likely one of the only rebels who knew about it.

He bit back a curse of pain as he eased his aching body to the floor. If Chase discovered he had tried to break in to the Shen Gong Wu, Raimundo would be dead by morning.

The red moon had just begun to illuminate his cell from the small, barred window at the top when Raimundo began to hear noises outside. He wearily raised his body from the thin blanket he was laying on and listened carefully, his body seizing up in fear. _If Chase already found out…_

Quickly, he got to his feet using the uneven stone wall for support and grabbed the only weapon he had: a wooden plate with the remnants of his last meal. As scraps of bread fell to the floor, Raimundo quickly went into a fighting stance as he listened to the commotion outside.

A few grunts sounded, then a shout. Suddenly, everything went silent, and Raimundo hastily summoned wind into his palms. A shadow crept underneath the door to his cell, and a figure dressed in a guard's Roman garb appeared in the small window of the door.

Then, there was a small shuffling noise as the door was unlocked, and a creak as it slowly opened. Raimundo took a step backwards, narrowing his eyes as the figure walked in. Behind the stranger, he could see the bodies of all the guards with metallic cords wrapped around their bodies, rendering them unable to move.

The two faced each other in silence, before the figure removed his helmet. Raimundo felt his body seize up and his lips parted in slight shock.

"Jack," he said curtly.

"Raimundo." Neither of the two men moved for a long moment, until a familiar green dragon popped its head out of a pack on Jack's side.

"Are you two going to just stare at each other all day? Come on, we gotta get out of here," Dojo snapped. Jack slipped another helmet out of his bag and held it out to Raimundo at arm's length.

"Put this on. We should be able to get out undetected if we hurry."

Hesitantly, Raimundo took it but made no move to put the helmet on just yet. "Why are you doing this? Helping me? I tried to kill you."

"And I'm not forgiving you for that. But for the first time in years, we may have found a way to defeat Chase. The other dragons need you, Raimundo. And as much as I hate you, I'm not going to destroy that chance by leaving you here to rot."

Jack turned on his heels and stalked out of the cell, leaving Raimundo staring at his helmet. With just a moment of hesitation, he slipped the visor over his face and followed, nearly tripping over a few bodies in the process.

"Jack, wait!" Raimundo called. He and Dojo were already halfway down the hallway, but at the mention of his name, he turned and paused. Raimundo tripped over another bound body, but as he caught up to Jack, he stuck his hand out in front of him. "Thank you," he said, looking straight up into Jack's eyes.

Jack looked down at his hand, and then back to Raimundo. Then, he turned around and began to stride forward, leaving Raimundo's arm hanging in the air.

"I'll only forgive you if you set things right with Kimiko," he said tersely. "Come on."

Raimundo slowly lowered his hand and took a deep breath, resisting the urge to summon his element. With his eyes narrowed and lips set in a straight line, he followed Jack out of the hallway, and into the throes of Chase's fortress.

* * *

Dojo touched down in Master Monk Guan's Temple shortly before noon, just as most of its occupants were heading inside for the midday meal. Raimundo slowly slid off of the dragon's back and looked around, a grim expression on his face. Some of the rebels were giving Jack and him strange looks, and Raimundo didn't understand it until he realized that they were both still in the Roman dress of Chase's soldiers.

Jack slid off behind him as Dojo became his smaller self again, and came to stand besides Raimundo. "Are you willing to call a truce?" he asked, glancing sideways at his companion. Raimundo stiffened, then managed a curt nod.

"We destroy Chase's army and kick him off the throne. After the world's been restored to balance, I'll kick your ass once and for all."

Jack smirked. "I'd like to see you try."

From across the courtyard, Clay exited a building and stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the three in front of him. Raimundo raised his hand in greeting, and the other warrior quickly made his way over to them.

"Rai…what…how…what're you doin' here?"

"Jack thought it was a good idea to go rescue him by himself in the middle of the night," Dojo grumbled. He started slithering off towards the kitchens, rubbing his shoulders as he went. "He's just as reckless as the two of you! I'm going to get something to eat, before you have any other grand ideas about flying into the heart of Chase's castle."

Raimundo smiled weekly as Clay stared dumbfounded at the two of them. Then, before Rai knew what had happened, Clay was suffocating him in a bear hug.

"Yer an idiot, you know that, right?" Clay said, finally letting him go. Raimundo wheezed and rubbed his side, where his injuries still hurt.

"I know. I'm sorry Clay, things got out of control. I've calmed down, and I'm here to make things right."

Clay extended his palm to Jack, and the two shook hands. "Thank you," Clay said gruffly. "We owe you a lot. I'm…glad that yer here."

Jack nodded and released his hand. "It's time to bring this war to an end. I want to help any way I can."

"Clay? What's going on? Someone said-"

The three boys turned to see Kimiko standing in the courtyard, her body frozen in shock. She had been carrying a clay vase, but it slipped from her hands and crashed into the hard earth, shattering instantly.

She could only stare at them for a full moment, her lips parted in bewilderment as she took in Jack wearing the uniform of Chase's guards…and Raimundo standing besides him.

"Kimiko," Rai said weakly, stepping forward. There was an uncertain smile on his face as he came towards her, his arms open to embrace her.

"Rai?" she said faintly. Her eyes were wide as she slowly walked forward to meet him, the broken vase forgotten. The two stopped only a foot away from each other, and Raimundo's smile grew wider.

"God Kim, It's so good to see you. I-"

_Crack._ In an instant, Kimiko's expression turned to one of rage, and she punched Raimundo in the cheek with all the force she could muster. The boy let out a sharp yelp and stumbled backwards, holding his face.

"Kimiko! What the hell-"

Fire burst to life in her palms, and Kimiko threw a fistful of flames at him, advancing on him all the while. Raimundo hastily scooted backwards, still holding his cheek.

"I can't believe you!" she shouted at him, sending another wave of fire. "After all the shit we went through, you just flew off like that? I was out of my mind with worry for you!" Kimiko formed a swirling ball of flames in her hand and shot it at him, and Raimundo had to throw himself out of the way to avoid it. He wasn't trying to fight back at all, merely trying to defend himself.

"Kimiko, stop it! Put the fire down!" he yelled at her. Raimundo summoned his element and pushed her next round of flames away just as she lunged for him.

"And then you decide to run off to Chase's castle all by yourself! Do you know what that did to me, seeing you beaten up like that? I thought you were dead! What the hell is wrong with you?" She launched herself at Raimundo, ready to punch him again, but he managed to catch both of her fists and hold her there.

"I'm sorry," he tried again. "Kim, I really am! All I wanted to do was prove myself to you. I felt horrible for what I did, and I figured that if I brought back some Shen Gong Wu, you would understand-"

"Understand what?" she snapped. Kimiko shoved her knee towards the crook of his legs, and Raimundo hastily stepped backwards to avoid her blow. "After all the hell we went through, I would have forgiven you if you'd just apologize! You could have gotten yourself killed!" She shoved his chest with fire, and Raimundo fell to the ground on his back.

"Kimiko," Jack called, quickly stepping forward. "He's injured, be careful-"

"And _you_!" she shouted, whirling around on Jack. "You had the audacity to sneak off in the middle of the night when you were barely healed. I can't believe it! You just snuck off with Dojo. Do you know how idiotic you are? Both of you could have died, and then we'd have no chance at defeating Chase! Of all people, you should have known how dangerous that was!"

"He saved me, Kimiko," Raimundo called out softly from behind her. She slowly turned to face him, her palms still filled with fire. Raimundo struggled to get to his feet, clutching his side. "Without Jack…I probably would have died. He saved my life."

Over her shoulder, Jack and Raimundo met each other's eyes, and an understanding passed between them. Kimiko, in the meanwhile, looked back and forth between them, still fuming. Then, she turned and stormed back to Raimundo.

She grabbed his collar menacingly and pulled him down so that their faces were only inches apart. "I do _not_ forgive you," she growled in a low voice, narrowing her eyes. "And if something had happened to you, I never would have. I _died_ inside when you left." Kimiko shoved him away from her and began to stalk away from the group, a trail of fire blazing in her wake.

"Idiots!" she shouted angrily. Then, she disappeared inside the Temple and slammed the door.

Clay, Raimundo, and Jack stood in silence for a moment, looking uncertainly at each other. Then, Clay began to chuckle under his breath. "Welcome back, Rai," he laughed, slapping him on the back. "Come on. Let's get the two of you cleaned up."

* * *

A few hours later, Raimundo and Jack were both bandaged up and wearing new clothes, courtesy of the infirmary. After a meal and a quick rest, they were now sitting with Clay, Kimiko, Dojo and Jesse, pouring over battle maps in her office.

Kimiko remained taciturn and angry, though she had calmed down considerably from the morning. While the boys and Jesse talked strategy, she sat near the window by herself, staring placidly out into the busy courtyard.

"Chase is planning to launch a massive attack against the world," Raimundo said in a low voice, breaking her out of her stupor. Kimiko raised her head to see him staring at her, and he quickly looked away. "When I was in his lair, he called all of his soldiers together. He's going to send his forces to every corner of the earth until he finds and destroys us."

"He's going to kill millions if he does that," Jack said softly. "Remember when he first took over? His soldiers massacred whole cities. The same thing will happen again if we don't stop him. The world is growing weak; humans won't be able to outlive another one of his campaigns."

"Rai, when did you hear him plannin' this?" Jesse asked. She looked agitated as she shuffled maps of the world in front of her, and nervously glanced around the table.

"A few days ago. We're running out of time; he's going to be sending the first wave of soldiers out in under a week."

There was a sharp intake of breath from around the table, and Kimiko slowly made her way over. "Then we have to stop him," she said evenly, sliding down onto her knees by the others. "This is our last chance. If we don't stop Chase now, we might never be able to."

"But how?" Clay asked, his brow creased with worry. "Kim, you an' Raimundo are still wounded, and Jack is still havin' trouble getting' around. How are we supposed to take down Chase and thousands of his warriors?"

"My soldiers are ready to fight," Jesse said firmly. "We can take on the army if y'all can bring down Chase. We'll get you safely to him, and my boys will handle the rest."

"Jesse, how many warriors do you have here?"

"'Round fifteen hundred, last time I checked, why?"

"Chase has at least ten thousand warriors at his fortress alone," Raimundo said glumly. "There's no way we could bring them all down. We're seriously outnumbered."

"Jesse, there are other pockets like this 'round the world, right?" Clay asked. "What if we send 'em a message to get 'em all here to fight?"

"We'd probably get our numbers up to 'round five thousand, then," she replied. "But it'll be hard enough to get 'em here unnoticed by Chase's warriors. I'm sure there are tons of rebels out there, but we don't have the means to contact 'em."

"We'll just have to make do," Raimundo said. "Get a message out to those we know of as soon as possible. We don't have time to lose."

"Rai, we're still outnumbered two to one!" Kimiko interjected. "There's no way such a small number can take on those forces. Think of how many of us will die! We might not even make it to Chase if we're that seriously out powered-"

"We won't be," Jack said quietly from the end of the table. Everyone stopped to look at him in confusion as Jack slowly rose to his feet. "I can build the rest of your army. Robots."

"Jack, there's no time-"

"Chase made me build thousands of robots for his own use," he interrupted. "I never deployed them; most are still waiting in holding areas until I give the order. If I can get back to my lab and reset them to follow me instead, we might actually have a chance. And I can make weapons, whatever you need."

There was silence for a moment, as Jack's words weighed heavy in the air. Then, Raimundo raised his head and nodded. "I trust you," he said slowly. "We'll get you back there as soon as possible."

"I'll go with him," Kimiko said quickly. "He's still hurt, and he needs someone to protect him. Clay and Jesse can work on gathering the troops together, and Raimundo…you can help train any rebels we can get."

She met Raimundo's eyes challengingly, and while the dragon across from her stiffened, he gave her a terse nod after a few moments.

"Well, let's get goin' then," Clay said heavily. "We got a lotta work to do if we wanna make it out of this alive."

* * *

The country meadow where Jack had made his home for the past three years was completely silent as Dojo came to a gentle stop. Kimiko slid off of his back and looked around hesitantly, as she had never seen Jack's home from the outside before. All the windows had been bolted shut and she never had the opportunity to look outdoors when Jack controlled her.

There were no signs of other buildings, and Kimiko assumed he had made his home as far away from any towns as possible. In the distance, she could see a small, one-story dwelling that must have been his house. Without thinking, she started out for it, but Jack grabbed her arm before she had taken three steps.

"Careful," he warned. "Let me make sure no one else is here. I don't want us walking into a trap." Jack pulled out a strange looking device that he had managed to create from scraps of technology at the Temple, and carefully began patrolling the grounds. Kimiko raised an eyebrow and hung back with Dojo until Jack finished and strode back.

"We're clear. No other life forms or technology…Just the ruins of my life." He looked slightly pained as he glanced over at the building, then extended his hand to Kimiko. "Come on, let's go."

"I'll be back to pick you up in a few hours," Dojo called. "Jesse and Clay need me in the meantime."

"Don't worry about it. I'll make something to fly us back," Jack said confidently. "We'll be home by nightfall."

Dojo nodded and took off into the skies, leaving Kimiko and Jack alone. Together, they began to walk towards his house, Jack growing more nervous with each passing step.

By the time they reached his home, it was clear the building had been abandoned since the day they had been captured by Katnappe. The door was still fallen in, and weeds had begun to spring up around the threshold. The two carefully made their way inside to see the kitchen covered in a thick layer of dust, with broken tile, windows, and sheets of metal everywhere.

With a deep breath, Jack descended down into the basement, Kimiko following close behind.

The lab was a wreck. Broken robots lay everywhere, and scraps of metal littered the floor. Half of the doors had been torn off of their hinges, and his tables were overturned. Jack looked crestfallen as he gazed upon all the damage, and his shoulders dropped.

"Are you okay?" Kimiko asked gently, slipping her hand into his. Jack took a deep breath and nodded, unable to keep the pain out of his eyes.

"Yeah. This was just…my life's work…and now, half of it's destroyed." He exhaled and took another look around the room, then squeezed Kimiko's hand assuredly. "I have your friends to thank for this, you know. Oh well. Let's get started."

Half an hour later, Jack had managed to restore power to the building, and was working on getting his Yes-bots charged and up to speed. Kimiko took her time cleaning up the best she could, but it was hard not to let the memories overtake her.

Underneath one of the tables, she found the white bands that had kept her under Jack's control. She hastily threw those away before he saw. Here was the hidden shelter where he had prevented her from reaching her friends, and over in the corner was the door to her room, miraculously still intact. Kimiko couldn't help but poke her head inside, and a wave of dizziness hit her as she saw the same little cot, complete with the cameras in the ceiling.

Kimiko had only been here a few weeks ago, but so much had changed since then. When she first arrived at Jack's, she had been weak and helpless. Now, the fate of the world was in her hands. She would be facing Chase in just a few days time. Part of her wanted to curl up on the cot and go back to pretending she was safe and hidden in Jack's hideaway, even if he was her worst enemy.

When she exited the room, Jack had found another pair of his spiral goggles, now perched precariously in his messy hair. He pulled them over his eyes and picked up a blowtorch, then set to work soldering two pieces of metal. Several Yes-bots scurried around behind him, picking up computer chips and stacking them on his desk.

Jack put down the torch to sort through the technology, until he found one that he needed. Then, he hurried over to his computer and ducked below it. Kimiko watched as he messed with the wires, sending a few sparks into the air, until the computer screens lit up with life.

With an ecstatic grin on his face, Jack scrambled out from underneath the computer and looked at his glowing screens. Then, he ran to Kimiko and picked her up, whirling her around in the air.

"We're back in business!" he shouted. Kimiko couldn't help but laugh, and she lightly kissed him as he set her back down.

"Let's get started," she said, as soon as he broke away. "Tell me what to do while you deal with the big stuff. We have an army to build."

* * *

The days were passing too quickly for Kimiko to handle. She was up by dawn every morning to train with the other dragons, and didn't go to sleep until two or later. Jack was working every waking hour build whatever he could; most nights, he never even returned to the Temple to sleep. Although she was worried leaving him on his own, Jack was now surrounded by a small army of vicious robots that could protect him.

New forces were arriving every hour, and Jesse was setting them all to work preparing for the battle. After receiving a crash course on what Chase was up to, the new rebels would be outfitted with a uniform bearing the four elements and a variety of weapons, courtesy of Jack.

Kimiko watched all the activity anxiously. Although she knew this was their final chance to bring down Chase, she wondered how many of these people would die, just to see him fall. The rebels were as young as fifteen and as old as seventy, and she couldn't help but worry that most wouldn't live to see past this battle. Clay and Raimundo seemed to share the same sentiments, but they barely showed it; instead, they were more preoccupied with discovering Chase's secrets.

Jesse's warriors, who had been undercover in Chase's castle for over a month, had returned. They brought news of all the soldiers preparing for battle, and ready to destroy anything that stood in their way. Clay had set to evacuating all the villages between the Temple and his fortress as discreetly as he could. Innocent people were sure to die if they didn't get out of the way.

Everyone was moving quickly, trying to prepare themselves for when the walls between them and Chase finally broke down. This was humanity's last stand against evil…and Kimiko was in the middle of it all. She and the other monks were the only hope left for the world. And if they failed, Kimiko knew she would die. She would not run away again, and hide from Chase. Kimiko wasn't afraid to face him- merely to watch the ones she loved fall around her.

With a chill in her bones, Kimiko took the Wings of Tenabi and set out for Jack's lair just three days before the attack. Clay and Raimundo were busy training the rebels in any way they could. Most were willing to dedicate themselves to the cause, but very few knew how to use a gun, or even fight with their fists. Jack's weapons, such as the capsules, were helping, but most would be throwing themselves blindly into battle.

It only took her an hour of steady flying above the clouds to reach Jack's house, and she touched down before the front door. Inside, she ducked through all of the debris and entered a security code on the basement door before slipping down the steps. Jack was back to work with his blowtorch, and a variety of black garments and other gadgets surrounded him.

"Jack?" she called hesitantly, stopping as a robot whizzed by her with a stack of metal. He looked up and turned the torch off, then yanked the goggles off of his eyes.

"Kimiko!" he exclaimed. "Come see what I made last night." He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her forward to the tables. She noticed that he was back to wearing jeans and t-shirts, but the cloth looked rumpled and there were dark bags under his eyes.

"Did you sleep at all since I last saw you?" she asked. Jack shrugged, and motioned to a gallon-sized coffee pot bubbling on another table.

"A few hours. I've had so many ideas running through my head that I haven't had time to rest. It's like being back here has put me on steroids or something. I can't stop thinking. But look."

Jack grabbed one of the garments and held it up to her. It appeared to be a black bodysuit, made of a strange material Kimiko had never seen before. The crest of the four elements had been embroidered on the front, just like the uniforms Jesse and her soldiers wore.

"What is it?" she asked uncertainly, fingering the sleeve.

"Armor," he said proudly. "I figured out how to make metal into fabric last night, then set my robots to duplicating it. It's tough enough to slow down bullets, and even block a sword. I also made boots, weapon belts, and arm and leg guards to go with it. Plus, the material stretches and moves with you; you'll be protected without the bulk of regular armor."

Kimiko silently watched Jack as he hurried around the lab, grabbing a set of what looked like earpieces. "Plus, I made these headsets. We'll be able to keep in contact with each other all throughout the battle. Oh, and- what's wrong?"

He paused in his excitement as he saw Kimiko's sober expression, and the paleness of her face. "Is everything okay?"

Kimiko managed to nod. The impact of the battle had just hit her; Jack was intending to fight, along with everyone else she cared about in the world. What if one of them was killed? She didn't want to think about it, but now she was slowly being overwhelmed with all the possibilities.

"I'm scared," she bit out at last, then bitterly laughed at how weak her voice sounded. "I'm terrified, Jack. I don't want to do this. I don't want anyone else to die."

Jack slowly came to her side and wrapped his arms around her, cradling her body to his chest. "I know," he murmured. "I am too…but there's no turning back now. We have to do this. If we don't make a stand, millions of others are going to die."

"I keep having nightmares about him. I keep seeing him killing everyone I love. And I don't want to lose anyone else! Not Raimundo, not Clay, not Dojo or Jesse- and definitely not you!"

"And I worry every day that I'll lose you," he said against her hair. "Do you know how much it kills me to know you'll be in danger?"

"I don't want you to fight, Jack. Please, don't go with the forces. Stay out of harm's way."

"What? No! I'm not letting you go in there by yourself-"

"Someone needs to control the robots from the outside, Jack. You're the only one smart enough to handle all the operations. I need to know you're safe…I need to be able to protect _someone_ during all this mess."

"Kimiko, no-"

"Please, Jack." She broke away from him and looked up pleadingly into his eyes. "Do it for me. I'll let you know whenever there's trouble; we can stay in contact the entire time. Just stay out of the fighting."

The two were silent for a terse moment, and Jack let out a heavy sigh. "For you, I will," he said at last. "But don't think I won't be watching over you. If you so much as get scratched, I'm coming after you."

"Thank you," she whispered. Standing on her toes, Kimiko reached up and kissed him softly, wrapping her arms around his neck. His own hands encircled her body, pulling her close.

Their kiss became deeper and deeper, and soon Jack found his hands wandering along her body, tracing the gentle curves of her hips. She pulled him closer to her, as if this were the last time they would be together. Kimiko felt desperate to feel his lips against hers. Fire had ignited somewhere inside of her, and she could feel it warm every inch of her skin.

Somehow, Jack had maneuvered them back towards his bedroom, and she didn't resist as they crossed the threshold. Her fingers skimmed the bottom edge of his shirt before she pulled it over his head. Jack paused for a moment to tear it off, and their eyes met. His skin felt electric against hers, and Kimiko pressed herself hungrily against him as he lowered her to the bed. There, he slowly glided on top of her, and wrapped his arms around her.

His fingers slowly reached for the tie on her robes, but just as his fingers skimmed the fabric, he pulled away. Jack took a deep breath and tried to sit up, but Kimiko's hand's laced around the back of his neck.

Blue eyes met red, and Jack felt warmth run through his body. He gazed down at her as she brushed her fingertips along the side of his face.

"I want to feel alive," she whispered, her eyes pleading, "before…before…"

Jack silenced her with a kiss.

* * *

The day of the battle arrived with a blood red sun, spreading eerie rays across the broken land. Kimiko watched as the light oozed like blood across the darkened hills and suppressed a shiver. How much blood would be spilt today?

She turned away from the window and crossed back over to her bed, where her armor had been laid out. After slipping on a thin shirt and pants, Kimiko pulled the strange armor suit over her body. The material felt stiff and unyielding at first touch, but she still could run and move around in it like her other clothes. Clay, Raimundo and Jesse had all tried the uniforms out in training, and while Jack had not created them for the entire army, they knew the armor would definitely give them a personal advantage.

Next came a pair of tall, black leather boots that had a sneaker-like bottom, and arm and leg guards that would be helpful from avoiding swords. Her weapons belt was equipped with several of the binding capsules and a variety of daggers. She also had the Wings of Tenabi strapped to her back, while Raimundo had the Ring of Nine Dragons and the Mantis Flip Coin, and Clay had the Fist of Tebigong. She slipped the small headset over her ear, and had just picked up the matching black helmet when the door to her room opened.

Raimundo stood in the doorway, already dressed in his uniform. The armor followed the contours of his body perfectly, and she had to stop for a moment to take in its effect.

He looked deadly. Raimundo had always been strong, but with the black ensemble, he looked dangerous. They paused and stared at each other for a moment, and Kimiko wondered if they were thinking the same thing.

"Hey," he said softly. Raimundo looked her up and down one last time, and managed a weak smile. "You look…great."

"Thanks," she replied. "You look like you could rip my head off in seconds." Raimundo laughed, and his familiar cheeky grin returned to his face.

"I was just thinking the same thing about you. If we get through this, I think you'd be great at being a crazy biker chick."

Kimiko laughed and shook her head, while Raimundo moved to her side.

"So this is it, huh?" he asked, leaning on the windowsill next to her. "I can't believe it…after three years of running, all of this is really going to end."

"I know," she said ruefully. Kimiko took a deep breath and turned to face the window with him. Outside, the troops were beginning to gather in their own respective uniforms, with a multitude of weapons at their sides. Jesse strode by below them, barking orders and looking formidable in her own uniform.

They turned to face each other at the same time, and Raimundo looked sheepishly down at her. Kimiko had stopped getting angry at him from when he first returned, but this was the first time they had been alone together since he had attacked Jack. Both of them were nervous.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," he said softly, reaching for her hand. There was nothing aggressive or controlling in his actions, and Kimiko looked up to see worry radiating in his eyes. "Nothing turned out like I expected it to. And I wish things had gone a different way, I really do."

"Me too," she replied, managing a smile. "But it's too late now. Rai, I forgive you, I already had. You're my best friend. I don't want to live without you."

He pulled her into a hug, and Kimiko exhaled against his broad chest. "Whatever happens today, just know that I love you," he whispered back. "And I will always be there for you, no matter what."

A knock on the door startled them, and the two broke apart to see Clay standing in the doorway. "Y'all ready?" he asked. "Jesse's got the troops ready to go. She wants us to say somethin' to them before we go. This is it."

Kimiko nodded and grabbed her helmet, while Raimundo tucked his under his arm. Together, the three Xiaolin Dragons made their way down the stairs and towards the courtyard where thousands of warriors from around the world had gathered. Jack was waiting by the door, leaning against the ancient wooden paneling. He too was dressed in the black uniform, though he had watches and other technical gadgets strapped to every inch of his arms.

Clay and Raimundo nodded to him, and the four exited the building together. A deafening roar went up around them as the warriors shouted their names and punched their weapons in the air. Kimiko felt her heart begin to pound as she faced the mass of people, adrenaline rushing through her veins.

At last, the crowd began to quiet, and Kimiko felt herself be nudged forward by the others. She turned around to see them staring at her expectantly, and Raimundo mouthed, "_You say something!" _Her mouth parted in the unfairness of it all, but as she turned back around, every eye was on her.

With a deep breath, Kimiko looked at all the faces around her, and finally found her voice. "My fellow warriors," she called out, her voice wavering. "For three years, we have been tormented by a monster. He has swooped into our homes and into our hearts, spreading fear and hatred across the world. We have watched as our skies turned red, our cities were decimated, and our children were stolen from us. We have watched mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, and friends and enemies be struck down in front of us. I have watched those I love die in my arms, all at the whim of a man named Chase Young.

"Our families, and even our civilizations, are threatened by his rule. Soon, Chase Young will send his soldiers to every corner of the earth, destroying anything that stands in his way. He has the power to destroy millions like never before, and unless we gather together, nothing will stop him."

Her heart was pounding erratically in her chest, but the crowd of people was completely silent, hooked on her every word. "Today, we change that," she challenged, her voice going stronger. "For weeks, I have walked among you. I have seen you, soldiers of every race and nationality, united for a single cause. Together, we have the strength, the courage, and the determination to finish him. We will hide in the shadows no longer! We will take back our world. I will no longer stand by as children are sold into slavery, and our humanity is pushed to its limits!"

"There are some among us right now who may never return. If you are unprepared to go on that journey, please, remain here. You have already aided our cause by standing by our side in the face of adversity. As for the others, walk into battle today with bravery, and fight for your family. Fight for your loved ones, the ones around you today and the ones already gone at the hands of Chase Young. It is my every intention to bring you home alive to the arms of your families, in a world without fear."

"We are the Xiaolin Dragons! With your help, we have the power and the means to destroy Chase Young. We will meet him today in battle, and bring retribution for all the evil and destruction he has caused. We will take back our homes, save our children, and restore the world to its natural balance. We are warriors, and we will fight to the end!"

The roar started up around them again, and Kimiko felt dizzy as she stepped back into the arms of her peers. From either side of her, Raimundo and Jack both took her hands, and she squeezed them tightly as they raised their arms together to the sky. The roar of voices continued around them, and Kimiko had to force back tears as she realized just how many humans were on their side.

"Come on!" Jesse shouted, motioning them towards the Temple gates. The warriors had begun to form ranks behind them, and were preparing the march to Chase's fortress. Most had horses and some of Jack's inventions to ride, and Kimiko couldn't help but gape as a few joined what looked like an army tank at the back.

The four took off for the front of the Temple, where Dojo and Jack's own transportation was waiting. He had created a flying command center, so he could both stay in reasonable distance of the battle and still direct his robot troops. Jesse went off to join the front lines as leading general, while Clay and Raimundo helped Dojo with his own form of armor.

Jack pulled Kimiko aside to his ship, and for a moment, the two wordlessly held onto each other in a tight embrace. "Is this goodbye then?" she murmured, a sudden spike of fear running through her.

"No, just good luck," he whispered back. They pulled away from each other and stared into each other's eyes, both of their thoughts transparent in their faces.

"Be safe, Jack," Kimiko whispered at last. He smiled and wiped away a tear at the corner of her eye.

"You too, Kimiko. Kick Chase's ass for me. I'm depending on you for that."

She managed to let out a weak laugh, and kissed him as hard as she could, desperate to feel his arms around her one last time. From behind him Jesse let out a shrill whistle, announcing it was time to depart.

They reluctantly broke apart, and Kimiko could only manage one last look at Jack without tearing up before she turned and ran to her companions, leaving Jack standing forlornly behind.

Together, Clay, Raimundo and Kimiko climbed up onto Dojo, while Jack hoisted himself into the cockpit. He firmly fitted his headset over his ears, and pulled his spiral goggles down onto his eyes.

"Ready for this?" Raimundo asked. Kimiko grabbed her helmet and lowered it down over her face.

"Let's do this," she said, her voice deadly. "Chase Young is going to pay for everything he's done today." She looked over one last time to see Jack behind the tinted windows of his plane, and nodded. He returned her gesture with a thumbs up.

Jesse whistled again, and Dojo took off into the sky. Below them, the massive block of warriors began to move. Jack started the engine of his plane, and within a few seconds, his ship was hovering along behind them.

Kimiko took a deep breath, and looked straight ahead. There was no turning back. Today, Chase Young would fall at her hands, or they would all die at his.

She grabbed Raimundo and Clay's hands in hers again, squeezing them in reassurance. Then, together, the last of the Xiaolin Dragons flew off into the blood red sun.

* * *

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